Saga of the Hearts
by Gumdrop Boo
Summary: Ella had to deal with love, servitude, and fairies. What fairytale situations will her children, Darius, Elle, and Kellin have to face with Ella and Char out travelling so often? Perhaps swan maidens, beasts, and lots of...matresses?
1. Darius

A/N: Gail, please don't sue me because your characters are wonderful, yes they are YOUR characters. I don't own any of them, but if I did I could afford food.

LOST?! We couldn't be lost! I stared at the map draped across my saddle. Where the bloody hell was I? I should have just turned around when the thought first came to me. Then again we were on a bad road and the last village was miles away. A laugh made me loose concentration; I glanced at my younger sister, who was cheerily sitting by the fire that my best friend had started. I honestly can never remember anytime Elle was angry or sad. She was perpetually happy. Why wouldn't she be? She was a princess and instead of sitting at home enduring manner and propriety lessons, she was out here adventuring with Aramon and I.

I looked back to my map…although I didn't exactly know where 'out here' was. We had left Frell almost two weeks ago.

We wouldn't have even been allowed to go if our parents were home, but they were on another journey, this time to southern Ayortha. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them so I planned a journey of my own. Aramon only came because he wrote me saying his parents were invited along on our parents' expedition and he was bored. I invited him to our court then. I have known Aramon my entire life; he is first-born to my Mother's dearest friend, Areida.

So you must wonder, if Elle and I are out in God knows where-land, and the King and Queen of Kyrria are in southern Ayortha, then who is at home? Frell could succumb to riots and chaos without a ruler. It's fine though, I made Kellin stay and take care of court affairs, although it IS possible for chaos to ensue if he is in charge. He is the twin of Elle, and older by one minute.

"Darius, have you figured out our location yet?" Elle inquired from her spot in front of the fire.

"Not yet lass," I replied.

"Maybe we should have listened to Mandy," she teased.

Mandy was every bit against Elle and I leaving while mother and father were gone.

_"You'll end up starving or getting attacked, or worst of all, getting lost!" She exclaimed when I told her why I was packing so much food._

_"Mandy, I'm nineteen, I can handle myself," I argued._

"But what about Elle? She's just a maiden of seventeen? Why must you bring her with you?"

_"Elle wants to go. I'm not going to deny her some adventure just because she's a girl," I protested, "Besides whenever she is married off she won't have a chance to have a adventure like this again!"_

_"Lady will be VERY unhappy if she returns to find two of her brood missing and no way to find them," Mandy chided._

_"Mother has her enchanted book, I'm sure it will tell her where we are. She always has it with her to check up on us." I reminded her._

_Elle entered the kitchen then, her bright green eyes excited for the adventure that waited._

_Mandy huffed at me and turned her attention toward Elle instead, "Sweet, why would you go and put yourself in such danger?"_

_"Darius and Aramon are big enough to protect me," she shrugged, reaching for an apple from the bowl on the counter._

_"So you're dragging poor Aramon into this as well? She looked at me and turned back to my sister, "I'll warrant they couldn't save you from Ogres!"_

_Elle laughed at Mandy's unnecessary worry, "I can save myself from Ogres, 'Niev eFFuth psy FFnOOess. That means 'I taste the sourest'." She bit into the apple and chewed._

_"Besides, Mandy we won't be going near any Ogres, we're going northeast to the sea."_

_Her eyes went wide, "No, you're not going to Clyone!" _

Clyone was the country northeast of Kyrria. It had no organized rule and no one knew why. There had been a monarch for five hundred years but suddenly it was as though, they all disappeared and were never heard form again. After that it was rumored the country was overrun with powerful sorcerers and rebel sprites.

_"Well how else are we going to see the sea?" I asked._

_"I wouldn't even go near the sea, there are pirates on the waters of Clyone and they'd give no thought before they'd slit your throat!" Mandy was trying to use scare tactics now. _

_"Mandy, Elle and I have made up our minds. We're going to Clyone and we'll be gone about a month. Mother and Father will be back in two months. Kellin will stay here to give you company." _

_"You're brother has more sense than you both!" she exclaimed._

_Elle and I laughed, "He wanted to come with us so bad, but somebody has to stay in Kyrria so we drew straws and he had the shortest!"_

_Mandy huffed again, she was in the habit of doing it when we didn't obey her wishes._

_"I wish you children were obedient like your mother was. If I would have said 'don't go' you would be here and safe," she grumbled._

Our mother had used to be cursed they tell us. We're not sure to believe if it's true or not. Mandy says that Mother had to do what anyone told her to do, which would be a horrible way to live. Mandy would get her way all the time if we were cursed like that.I continued staring at the map. We should have come upon a town called Brilet by then, the last town before we arrived at the border of Clyone.

It was colder in the north; I adjusted my cloak over my shoulders for more warmth. There was a wind, but not heavy enough to blow the fire out. It was one of those gray, cloudy days. I wouldn't be surprised if I felt a drop or two of rain; the perfect, miserable day to get lost.

"Friend, stop worrying about where we are, it's all part of the adventure. Come sit by the fire. " Aramon waved, I saw Elle nod in agreement. I sighed and began to roll my map up. I really didn't want to make camp for the night. We had been staying at Inns since we had left and that's why I was so intent on finding Brilet.

"Don't worry," Elle tried comforting me as I sat down beside her. I appreciated her attempts but I had a bad feeling in my gut. The chilly wind blew a little bit harder and Elle snuggled into my side.

"I miss mother and father," she said quietly after a moment of silence.

I missed them too. They were on travels most of our childhood. After Elle and Kellin were old enough to talk, they were gone for weeks on end. Our grandparents watched over us though. Grandpops and Grandmama, who were the ruling monarchs before our father came into power. Mandy was always with us too, but she was bossy, always giving orders and when we didn't obey she huffed and called us 'spoiled'. What was she to expect with two child princes and a princess?

"They'll be back after we return," I reminded her.

It was early October and they projected that they would be back home before the winter holiday. I was a tiny bit jealous that they were warmer at the moment. Southern Ayortha never gets chilly.

Since I had lost hope of finding Brilet, we did make camp in the woods nearby. I didn't want us near the road, shoddy as it was. Thieves and bandits were at the top of my list for dangerous possibilities, and I don't know what I would do if Elle was harmed because of me.


	2. I

_WHOO! _I'm a light sleeper, which is strange because Elle and Kellin could sleep through a thunderstorm and not even know there was one the night before. I heard an owl hoot. My eyes snapped open and all I could see were the dim embers of the fire, glowing an eerie orange. I squinted and rolled over with a soft groan of annoyance at myself for waking up. I was about to shut my eyes again but something caught them.

There was a faint but ferocious orange light, as big as my pinky nail, gleaming in the distance. How far away was it, and what establishment was so near to our mysterious location? It couldn't have been Brilet because there was only one tiny light.

A thought grabbed at me, what if it was a country manor? Country manors were sort of common in northern Kyrria since there were no major cities around. It had to be at least ten miles away and on a hill or small cliff. Maybe I could ask the owners to let us stay for the night. We had gone to sleep early so we could get back on the road to Clyone early, so not even half of the night was gone. My horse was fast so it wouldn't take long, maybe a half hour to go a ten-mile distance.

I shoved my blankets aside and was greeted with cold air. I pulled on my boots and woke up my stallion. He wasn't very happy and snorted in protest.

"Easy Jaxor, just a little ride, I promise," I petted his muzzle and saddled him quickly.

I suppose Aramon slept just as heavy as Elle because they never stirred as I galloped off. The trees were spread far apart so Jaxor dodged the trunks. Wouldn't that be lovely, Jaxor slamming us into a tree and breaking a bone in the middle of the night? Horses whine a lot when they get hurt.

The light was steadily getting larger, meaning Jaxor and I were coming closer. I heard a wolf's howl. Drat, I didn't even think about the danger of wolves, I knew we should have kept going until we reached Brilet. I closed my eyes and wished for Elle and Aramon to stay safe in my absence.

It had been twenty minutes and with Jaxor in a full gallop, we emerged from the trees in front of foothills. The light had disappeared because it was higher than we were and hills blocked it.

Jaxor whined and started backing up.

"You can climb those, don't be a sissy!" I snapped. Jaxor is a smart horse but golly is he spoiled.

He grunted as I spurred him on. Riding a horse that is prancing up a hill isn't the most comfortable of situations, let me tell you. I felt better though as I saw the light reappear before us just beyond another foothill.

I could make out stairs, they were cracked and degraded. The bad feeling in my gut punched my nerves once again. _They're just shoddy at keeping their grounds kept_ I thought to calm myself.

Jaxor breathed heavy as he came upon leveled terrain and we were in front of a very big castle. This was not a manor, but a castle. The light was coming from a room near the middle, maybe on the third story. My bad feeling was all over me but if there were someone there, they would be safer than staying with wolves. I dismounted my horse and led him to the entrance.

"Stay. If you run off, you might get eaten," I told him to scare him into staying. He would though anyway. He was trained not to ride without me.

The steps up to the door were degraded but less than the ones I had seen earlier. There were vines of ivy climbing along the door. The brass handles were dull with years of weather beating eroding them.

I gave the door a good fist knocking. The noise seemed out of place with the setting. If no one was home, why was there a light?

My stomach was very uneasy but I entered without permission anyway. I had to investigate the light. What was causing it? Had I entered the abandoned castle of Clyone? No, because we would have passed through Brilet if we had come into Clyone. I was baffled and tired, and just a little bit hungry. There was a hall. Very dim, too dim to see from the outside were torches on the walls. They hardly did any good though. The carpet was dusty and above me, the ceiling was cracked stone. There were ripped tapestries on the wall, once great depictions of epic battles but now were torn apart. Where was I? The silence was not comforting, and I'm sure that any noise would have made me jump out of my skin. A grand staircase was at the end of the hall and the ceiling rose further; I could see balconies above me in this rotunda-like room. The staircase I'm sure was unstable so I traveled down the wing to my right.

I heard a scuffing of some sort and jumped back. "Hello?!" I shouted, trying to sound confidant.

Nothing. It was probably a mouse. I entered the room where I had heard the sound and it was a kitchen. Spider webs hung from the cabinets. There was a flash of light quicker than a second, that lit the whole kitchen suddenly, and then a boom of thunder. I didn't care anymore about the mysterious light. I felt danger in this place and would happily fight off any wolves (if any) that came in the night. I turned around and made my way back to Jaxor. The rain hadn't started yet but it would be near soon. I stepped down the stairs hurriedly but stopped. Growing on the ivy vines on the door, were red roses. The only thing beautiful about this decrepit palace, it instantly reminded me of my sister. She loved roses anyway so I back stepped to the roses and plucked one for her, it's thorns scratched me but nonetheless I tucked it into my cloak pocket for safe keeping.

As soon as I put my foot into the stirrup of Jaxor's saddle thunder boomed again and an overwhelming "_THEIF!!" _reverberated through my entire body. I took my foot out and held onto Jaxor's main for stability. What was that? It wasn't any of my thoughts, but I heard it from within. I blinked a couple times trying to even remember if it was real or not.

I shook my head and tried to mount my horse again but a "_HOW DARE YOU STEAL FROM ME!"_

All right, I was not imagining it. It also sounded like a voice, not mine but it was speaking to me through my body. Only I could hear it because Jaxor was calm, just a bit nervous of the approaching storm, but he wasn't bucking wildly at the loud, sinister voice. I know if I were a horse, I'd be.

I turned around to look at the dead castle. Truly, because the light wasn't even there anymore which made me wonder If I had imagined the light itself.

"_YOU FOOL OF A THEIF, YOU SHALL DIE!!"_ The voice once again bellowed within me, bumps formed on my skin and my stomach ached from the echoing sensation of the voice.

I drew my sword and pointed it at the castle, "SHOW YOURSELF!"

There was a rumbling under my feet and I looked at the ground. Jaxor whinnied terribly and stood before he galloped off. I swallowed as the tall doors opened before me and I saw two Silver eyes gleaming at me evilly. A head, then a neck, next a paw with talons, and finally a large tail with spikes along it came into my view, I had to crane my neck to face it. I was staring at a black scaled, sleek, but most of all frightful, yes that is the word best describing it… _Frightful_. ..dragon. Then I knew why we hadn't reached Brilet, silly of me to think it when I was about to be smoldered. We weren't anywhere near Clyone, because I knew from glaring into slitted, silver, eyes that we had stumbled into Dregat, the dragon lands.


	3. II

The rain started then, poured onto me as if I were a rock under a waterfall. How long had I been staring at this beast in front of me? Only a few seconds but the moment seemed to go on for forever. I was shaking uncontrollably, one can only be so brave. The only dragon I had ever seen was the one in our city's menagerie and it was always caged and _never_ spoke.

"Who…who…are you?" was the one and only thing my voice could say, and it was a bad question at that.

"_I AM MASTER_!" it shrilled, seeming offended that I'd questioned it. Its voice physically hurt my insides when it bellowed like that. I clutched my stomach and grimaced. The creature seemed to grin in all of its power over me.

Still, I guess the dragon was right about me being a fool because I charged at it with my sword drawn.

"_HA_!" it barked inside me, making me twist away with pain before I could puncture its black scales. I fell into the side of its talon, which came up to my waist. That would be a nasty bruise. I grabbed the scales where I guess it's thumb-like talon protruded and yanked, the scales tore and the dragon screeched in rage but it was an outward one that filled the land. Rain fell into my eyes, I had to continuously blink to clear them because every moment counted. An extra second of distraction could have been fatal. As the dragon roared I hastily got to my feet and ran underneath it back into the gloomy castle. The torches were still dimly lit as I ran down the hall. This time I took the left wing and shut myself in a room. There was one dim torch by the door and I turned around, stepping on something that cracked. It was a beige piece of wood, no…not wood. It was hollow. I grabbed the torch and brought it in front of my face, so it's light projected into the room more.

I stifled a gasp of horror. There were piles and piles of skeletons. Decaying, dry bones and heads with eyeless sockets. My stomach churned. I was in over my head with this vile monster. There were hundreds of bones. All flesh cleaned off entirely by the jaw of the dragon. There was rumbling under my feet, signifying the dragon was walking towards my hiding spot.

"_COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE_!" The voice rumbled deep within me and it didn't help my sickened stomach. I could hear an outward growl just on the other side of the wall. My mentality was betraying me. _You will die in this castle and your body will be added to the countless ones before you_.

NO! I couldn't die. Auditory evidence of the dragon had disappeared so I cracked open the door just a bit to see a clear hallway. Sighing in relief, I quickly exited and tried going back to the main hall. It was strangely quiet again. Maybe it had given up? That was wishful thinking. I took no more than two steps down the main hallway when there was a crashing above me, some wooden beams had decided to finally fall from of decay. It pinned my leg to the floor. Rumbling again, I struggled with my leg but when I saw the sleek, black, almost snake-like neck crane around from the balcony above, I crunched so I could be in the smallest possible form I could get myself into. I hadn't been so crouched since I'd been in my mother's womb.

"_FOOL, WRECKING MY CASTLE, STEALING FROM ME, YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR LIFE_!" the voice was so full of hatred and caused more pain as it swept through me. I whimpered pathetically.

The head of the beast jerked and its snout was pointing straight at me. It opened its gigantic mouth like it was smiling, all of its pointy teeth glistened with its saliva.

I closed my eyes and tugged hard. I felt some sort of ripping, my clothes or my flesh I couldn't tell but my leg was free. I climbed through the wooden beams and suddenly I was warm, the dragon had flamed the previously occupied spot I was at. I untangled myself from the wood and was at the grand staircase. I dashed up it, limping. I guess something in my leg had ripped. The tail of the dragon came from nowhere and sent me flying back into the palm of its paw. I swiftly re-drew my sword and pointed it to the dragon's face.

The dragon laughed and it echoed through me. It was such an evil laugh. He knew he had won and was amused that I still thought I could. In the back of my mind though, I knew I couldn't. It was bigger and more evil. I still had one weapon…perhaps. Negotiation.

"Dragon, let's strike a bargain." I called up to but my sword was ready and pointed.

"_YOU DO NOT BARGAIN WITH ME_!"

I winced at the pain its voice caused my body. I'd like to think I'm strong, I carried Knight weapons and armory back and forth from the practice arena to the containment shed since I was fourteen, but my body was taking an internal beating from this creature.

"Fine, but what good will it do you to kill me?" I asked.

"_YOU HAVE STOLEN FROM ME, I WILL BE AVENGED_!"

This dragon was selfish, as most dragons are but this was seriously ridiculous. Maybe if I explained my situation…like it would care.

"Listen, why can't you just forgive me?"

The dragon laughed, "_FORGIVNESS IS FOR HUMANS_"

"If it's about the rose, then here…" I kept my sword pointed and fumbled for the bloom inside my cloak, "Although I'm sure more will grow again, you can keep your rose. All I wanted it for though was to give to my sister. She loves roses and I was only thinking of her. So be a beast and condemn an older brother for loving his sister. Take your shoddy rose, I'd never have picked it if I knew it would have gotten me killed." I ranted angrily as I threw the rose at the beast. It was tiny in comparison to the dragon, why would the dragon even care about it?

"It's partly your fault too, you'd think the place was abandoned by the way you keep it, so excuse me for thinking I could…"

"_QUIET_!" the dragon bellowed, probably deciding it was time to eat me.

It flipped his hand over so I fell about ten feet onto the dusty rug below. It cocked its head thoughtfully and its silver eyes glared upon me. I stood awkwardly for a moment, leaning on my sword trying to pinpoint where my leg hurt the most. Still silly of me, considering a black dragon was above me, and most likely going to kill me in the nearest future I had which I calculated at being three seconds.

"_You have a sister_?" for once the voice didn't pain me but I heard it inside me.

I jerked my head up at it and stared at it hard in its silver eyes, even about to die I was protective of Elle instead of worrying about myself. "Leave my sister alone." It was known dragons enjoyed eating maidens. Elle was too good to be a dragon's lunch.

"_You are a lucky human, I've decided to give you the privilege of bargaining with me,_" It hissed. The voice was smooth sounding when it wasn't a mass of pain inside me.

"So what do you want, dragon?" I asked.

"_I will not end you if you bring me your sister_,"

"Are you deaf, dragon? I said to leave my sister alone!" I shouted holding my sword up to its face. It snorted tendrils of smoke at me and laughed evilly.

"_So you would rather die than to see any of your family again. Never ever letting your sister know you died for her, I doubt she would enjoy that news_,"

"What do you want with her?!" I screamed, the only reason I could fathom flashing before my eyes in my imagination: to consume. The thought of her body thrown onto the pile of skeletons I had seen brought faint tears to my eyes. I would die for her if that were to be her fate.

"_That is my business_…" it whispered sinisterly, but saw my evident worry, "_I will not end her_."

I lowered my sword, not sure why I suddenly believed it. "How am I to bring her here?"

"_I will let you free, you shall return within the next night with her to this castle_,"

I thought about it, well I could fetch Elle and protect her, just to see the dragon once more then we were heading back to Frell. I could see Clyone later in life. Wait, I was going to get set free, I didn't even have to return did I?

"What happens if I don't return?" I dared to ask.

The dragon grinned all teeth, "_Then I kill you from the inside out. NOW GO_!"


	4. III

I ran blindly through the woods as rain pelted down upon me. My heart raced, and my leg ached but I was trying to focus on more important things. The dragon would kill me, of that I was sure, if I didn't return with Elle to the castle. Would she even agree to come with me? My mind raced faster than my legs for answers. If I could somehow just escape with Aramon and Elle but I had already experienced the pain the Dragon could cause within me and knew it would kill me. It would kill me.

The rain was icy, and the wind didn't help with its sorrowful howling through the last leaves of the trees.

Blast Jaxor for running off, the trainer told me he wasn't supposed to go without me. Then again, if I were Jaxor, I wouldn't have stuck around a dragon for long.

I ran and ran for what seemed a lifetime, but at last I found my party.

"Darius!!" Elle called, she was crouched under her horse with a shawl over her soggy head.

I squatted down in front of her, trying not to startle her mare. I didn't need any more bruises that night.

"Where have you been!? The rain started and Aramon and I awoke but you were nowhere to be found!" Elle asked and was relieved at the sight of me.

"I thought I had found shelter…" I explained timidly, thinking of what to tell her, how to explain what I saw and what it wanted. I noticed there was no Aramon. "Where's Aramon?"

"Jaxor came during the rain without you and we were worried so Aramon took off to find you," Elle explained. She was shivering from the cold; the shawl did little to evade her of rain.

It was bad. We were going to catch pneumonia in this weather. The dragon already had threatened our lives, even if she did not know it. I sighed and hated the decision I had to make.

"Elle come with me, I know where there is shelter from this down pour," I reached out for her hand. She looked at me curiously, emerald eyes searching for answers. Her dark mahogany hair was plastered to her cheeks and neck from the rain and water droplets dripped off of her long eyelashes.

She took my hand and I helped her up. "Saddle your horse, its not far." I marched up to Jaxor, who had returned, with a chiding glare. He didn't notice. I pulled up and mounted him as Elle trotted her mare beside me.

"What about Aramon?" Elle asked.

"He's a smart lad, he'll stay where he is until we find him again," I reassured her, but I wasn't even entirely convinced myself.

I wanted not to be in a hurry to return but I kept our horses at a sprint to get out of the icy rain. "So what did you find?!" Elle shouted in question.

"A castle!" I replied.

"Castle?! Out here?" she was bewildered as I imagined she would be.

"It's abandoned!"

An emotion caught in her face: excitement. She was eager to explore it. She couldn't get enough mystery and adventure out of life. If only she knew what lived in that castle.

It took less time for us to arrive back at the castle since our horses were at their fastest. Elle stared up at the towers of rotting stone with her mouth agape.

"Let us get inside!" I called and she was struck out of her astonishment, nodded and dismounted. We were on the steps that lead to the door, our horses we left on the steps, there was enough overhanging of the second story to shelter them from the rain. Though Jaxor was uneasy and Elle's mare whinnied with fright. They could sense the creature within.

I stopped in front of the doors and laid my eyes on the vines where the rose used to be. Such a stupid object to cause a dragon's temper to flare; such an insignificant possession to threaten life for.

"So why are we standing out here? Open the door silly!" Elle prodded me. I didn't want her to be introduced to this setting but she was looking so anxious to get out of the rain, and so eager to explore the place. I sighed and lifted the handle and stepped in. I noticed the wooden beams down the main corridor were still in shambles on the floor.

Behind me there was an intake of breath, "Oh my!"

Unintentionally I whirled around and hushed her immediately.

She cocked her head to the side curiously, "Why?"

"Oh…nothing. The place looks like it could break from a single noise, I don't want us to be crushed to death," I said quietly as an excuse. I hoped the dragon didn't know we had arrived yet.

"This really is abandoned…there's cracks in the stained glass, and look, mice droppings everywhere!" she whispered excitedly. I don't understand how she couldn't have been scared silly in this place of death. I bet if I had showed her the room of skeletons she would have run out of the castle screaming.

I found myself at the grand staircase once more and looked up. It split at the first landing and one flight went into the left wing while the other veered to the right.

"Maybe we could find a room with a fireplace and…" Elle spoke suddenly, looked around and grabbed a torch off the wall "use one of these to light it?"

We would be warmer, but I hadn't seen the dragon yet and wanted to delay our meeting again as long as possible, the fire would probably attract its attention.

"I'm not sure Elle…" I mumbled, pondering whether to test the stability of the grand staircase. I took a few steps up lightly and gradually put all my weight down. The stair did not collapse to my relief. There were four levels of balconies above me; each one was a hallway into another wing. The dragon could have been hiding anywhere within.

"Elle, how about we just stay in the main hall?" I asked still looking above me for signs of movement.

There was no answer. My heart froze and I twisted around, which put pain on my injured leg and there was no Elle behind me anymore. Blast! She must have gotten impatient and started exploring whether I came along or not. She didn't know though…the castle wasn't entirely void of life.

She must have taken the left wing because the right wing was in my line of sight. I swallowed hard, hoping she hadn't found the room of skeletons.

I crept along the hall in the left wing, listening and looking for any signs of my sister. I opened the door that led to the room of skeletons; you couldn't see all of them-just the bone I had stepped on. The dim torch's light didn't reach far.

"Elle?" I asked, very quietly. No one answered so I sighed and traveled further down the left wing's hallway.

Where could she have run off to so fast? There were more rooms, just service rooms and storage by the looks and Elle wasn't to be found in those.

I reached the end and saw there was a secondary stairwell leading to the second story. It was very dusty because of the closed space. I stifled a sneeze that the dust caused when I inhaled. The scent of this place was stale. I saw however, footprints in the dust that led up the stairs. They were of tiny human feet, and my sister _did_ have the smallest feet I ever saw. I followed them up the stairs and was surprised I didn't cause the rotted wood to give way.

At the top there was nowhere to go except right, and before me was a narrower corridor with many doors. I sighed. If the dragon had gotten her, I'm sure I would have heard something-a roar, a scream, more rumbling and the sort. There was no noise though. I did however catch a glimpse of a glow of light coming from under one of the doorways. They were double doors so it must have been a bigger room than any storage closet. I inched open the door and it creaked horribly. I peered in.

"Darius, look! Now we can be warm," Elle said cheerily from in front of a fireplace. I sighed in relief and stepped into the big room. It must have been a sitting room since there were overturned chairs and lounge beds. Her shawl was hung up over the mantle and drying. She still looked damp but I went to her anyway and embraced her.

"Why are you hugging me? I told you I was going to go make fire…" she laughed confused. I pulled away to look at her; she really was beautiful. At that moment I didn't care anymore if I would die, Elle was not going to encounter the beast that I knew was hiding in the shadows of this gloomy place.

"We have to leave," I stated.

Her face crumpled in puzzlement.

"Why, but we just arrived," she reminded me, "Besides it was _your_ idea to come here. Why change your mind now?"

"We have to go," I restated, not answering her question.

"But it's still raining!" she raised her voice…there was a faint echoing off the wall. She stared me down stubbornly. I looked around, for any signs of the dragon. The room was still except for Elle's challenging look. She marched to the dimmer part of the sitting room and the faint light reflected off her puzzled, and contrary expression.

She stood with her hands on her hips, something mother did when us children weren't making sense.

"_My silly darlings," _she would say with one eyebrow raised. We usually were trying to hide something we did and that's why we didn't make sense. One time Kellin and I snuck into the pantry and made gluttons of ourselves with the raspberry jam Mandy was saving for the winter months. Mandy made the best jam in the entire kingdom. We tried cleaning up our mess but ended up hiding the rest of the day until mother questioned us about the incident.

_"There was a…a…cat!" Kellin explained with his jam stained fingers._

I nodded to validate his statement, for I too was his jam-eating accomplice.

"A cat?" mother asked intrigued.

"It liked to eat jam. We told it 'SCRAM, and don't eat the jam!'" Kellin continued to weave a false story.

"Then why are my princes hands so jammy if a jam-eating cat was at fault?" she asked squatting down and taking both our hands from behind our backs.

Kellin was at a loss, he was positive he could keep our thieving hands from mother's view.

"We tried picking up the mess the cat made!" I leaped in with a save. Kellin smiled silly, we had evaded punishment.

Mother simply smiled mysteriously and told us to open our mouths. We did so, she then pinched our noses lightly, but enough we couldn't breath. She took a sniff near each of our mouths as we breathed out and let go.

"Ah-ha. I smell raspberries. Now go apologize to Mandy this instant," she pointed sternly to the hallway that led to the kitchen.

We sulked out, hoping father wouldn't hear of our offense but it was doubtful.

Mother walked off in the opposite direction but winked at us," For letting the jam-eating cat escape."

Now I was facing Elle like I had faced mother after the jam-eating incident. She knew something was amiss and that I knew the truth. Elle was just like mother.

Her stare made me break down to confess. "Elle…there is something about this castle I should have told you before…but…" I started to admit but I couldn't speak anymore. My words had dried in my mouth because I saw something. The firelight was reflecting off something behind Elle in the shadows-two silver objects. I swear my heart almost stopped even as it started beating faster.

"What is it?" She must have noticed how my face paled and my eyes grew round and my attention travel elsewhere.

Its head rose over her, its arching neck touched the ceiling, and it didn't make a single sound doing so. Elle realized that whatever I was staring at was behind her, knotting her brows in puzzlement, she turned around slowly.


	5. IV

I would have expected her to scream and scream loudly at what she was seeing. She was vulnerable and the beast's jaw was bigger than her; it could have bent down and snapped her up whole in one bite. Elle didn't even gasp. Her eyes did widen enormously-she was certainly startled.

I waited for her to scream, as soon as she would have done it, my sword would have been out and I would have flung myself between them, but she threw off my plan by not screaming so I was left standing farther away and most awkwardly.

"Elle," I whispered to get her attention but she was transfixed, looking at the dragon. The dragon was making no moves to grab at her so I really didn't know what to do.

"He's so beautiful," she spoke ever so softly, perhaps fearing she would startle the beast. She turned her sight towards me, "Isn't he?" The dragon cocked its head and took a step back, probably feeling as lost about her comment as I was.

Beautiful? The dragon? Its hyde was black as death and its horns were jagged. Its talons were enormous and lengthy, and worst of all were probably sharper than my blade. My sister had a warped sense of beauty if she considered this creature a part of it.

"Elle, please step away from the dragon," I pleaded.

She eyed the monster carefully, still in an expression I couldn't configure. It was not fear, but something else. I didn't have time to guess. "Elle, now!" I demanded.

She did take one step closer to me and away from the dragon. That's when the dragon roared outwardly she ducked with her hands over her head and squeaked in surprise.

_"You have kept your word and brought her. I shall keep mine and let you live. Now leave my castle and never return,"_ I heard that chilling voice inside my head once again.

"Come on Elle, we have to go," I signaled for her to follow me, she started to but the dragon slammed it's paw in front of her. I turned around with a scowl.

_"Just you. She stays,"_ it said and at that moment I broke.

"YOU SAID NOTHING ABOUT KEEPING HER!" I fumed, thinking it had tricked me.

"Are you talking to him?" Elle asked intrigued. She must have not known it was communicating with me.

_"What a fool you are. She is to replace the beauty which you tried to steal from my castle." _The dragon stated in me, treating me like an incompetent knave.

"Are you still upset because of that stupid rose I picked!? No! She will not stay with you! She is not your food or your plaything. She is coming home with me!"

I marched forward and grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room with me.

"Darius, what did you do?" For the first time since we arrived, I heard fear in her voice. I looked down at her and those innocent green eyes were indeed worried.

I couldn't reply because the dragon was roaring in anger and I warrant, coming after us.

"RUN!" We sprinted down the corridor the opposite direction we had come and ended up on the second story balcony that was overlooking the grand staircase.

The dragon's huge body filled up the entire corridor; it's long neck in the lead with its head right behind us. It opened its mouth and I saw hundreds of razor-sharp teeth, it would be able to flick its slimy forked tongue out and grab us to munch on.

"Jump!' I commanded without thinking. We flew over the railing and fell towards the wooden beams that had collapsed during my first visit. We didn't hit it though. The dragon had whipped its tail out and caught us on it. I felt smooth scales underneath me. Elle was grasping for dear life. The scales were too sleek to stay on, and I slipped off only a few feet from the ground. The dragon plucked her off its tail with its paw and held her.

"DO NOT HURT HER!" I grasped the hilt of my sword, ready to pull it out if it made any other move.

"Darius," Elle spoke, "I don't think he will hurt me."

That was a comforting thought but it was a dragon and dragons were vicious creatures.

_"YOU ARE FOOLISH TO THINK YOU CAN TRIUMPH OVER ME! I HAVE WHAT I WANTED AND YOU SHALL GO NOW OR I WILL KILL YOU!"_ Once again I felt a terrible ache sweep through me with its shrieking voice.

I bent over in pain and surprise, not ready for it.

"Darius!?" Elle called to me with concern.

"You can't have her!" I yelled defiantly.

_"I'LL DO WHAT I PLEASE WITH HER!"_

"I'll shred you to pieces!" It was a threat with no backing, and the dragon laughed but it hurt me inside.

_"YOU WILL DIE FOR YOUR IMPERTENCE!"_

I fell onto my knees and dropped my sword; it felt as though my insides were bubbling, my blood boiling, perspiration was dripping from my forehead. It really was trying to end me.

"STOP!" Elle cried desperately and beat her fists; bravely I might add, on the dragons paw.

The dragon released her, only a bit startled.

She ran to me and tried helping me stand. "What is happening?"

"The dragon is killing me, from the inside…" I breathed heavily. With the sleeve of her damp gown she dabbed the sweat off my splotchy face.

"What does he want?" she asked me, figuring it had told me. Oh yes, It had told me but I was not ready to oblige.

"You…it wants only you. To stay here." I gasped in gulps of air.

"Surely, he doesn't want me to stay forever?"

I didn't know, I looked to the dragon who was watching us with sort of a puzzled expression, as far as dragons go. "How long must she stay?"

_"Until the moment she is buried in the earth,"_ it replied darkly and unmoving.

I closed my eyes. An Elle-less life my family would live because of one stupid mistake of mine. She would never marry, never bear children to love, never love at that if she stayed here forever. We would never swim in the river Lucarno in the summer, with her diving off high tree branches. She and Kellin would never get me with a practical joke ever again. We'd never try any of Mandy's recipes or try to imitate the parrots in the menagerie or a million things I could have thought of that would be gone forever along with Elle.

When I opened my eyes, they were filled with tears, although I'm not sure if Elle could see them.

"Well?" she asked.

"I don't want you to remain here," I shook my head, but she understood the Dragon's terms.

Her eyes glistened, "If I leave, he will kill you. If I stay, I shall never see my family again…" she bit her lip and looked up, but not to the dragon, just somewhere else to collect her thoughts.

"Yes. Please leave Elle. I don't want you to become a prisoner because of me," I grabbed her hand.

"And I don't want to be brother-less," she replied poking my cheek to make me look at her. "I am a brave wench as Kellin says, I can survive this place and this dragon. It…it shall be the adventure of a lifetime," she smiled shakily, but that didn't stop tears from puddling in her eyes and rolling down her face from realizing all she was giving up to let me live. I felt like dying.

I grabbed her in a tight hug, squeezing her until my arms ached and then whispered into her ear, "I shall return for you. Kellin and I, we will rescue you from this prison. I'm so sorry Elle."

"I forgive you," she sniffed back her tears and let me go. I stood a little wobbly and thought, _you win for now dragon. She remains here. I shall take my leave._

_"Glad you've decided to cooperate. Farewell and if you ever return I will certainly end you for good."_

I exited the dreary castle and mounted Jaxor, leading Elle's mare along beside me. The rain was still poring but not as heavy.

I should have been thinking about how to save Elle when the time came, but my mind was numb and the only thought I could muster was _'cooperate' is in a DRAGON's vocabulary?_


	6. V

The sun was just rising as I found the clearing where we had been staying. Aramon had packed a tent for our journey. I told him it wasn't necessary, but he said that he did so in case we couldn't find an inn, and subsequently there was a tent pitched when I arrived.

Jaxor snorted and stomped his hoof after I dismounted, he was hungry.

"Elle? Darius?" I heard Aramon grumble from inside the small burlap tent.

"Good morning," I called, although there was hardly any thing good about this morning-no Elle. Jaxor wasn't the only one hungry, my stomach grumbled ferociously.

The flap of the tent opened and Aramon poked his head out with sleepy, squinted eyes at the approaching dawn, "Where have you been all night?"

"I had some issues, but I took care of them," I replied, not wanting to tell him the whole story…not yet anyhow.

He nodded, understanding my need not to be pried, that I would explain in due time. That is why we were best friends. Aramon yawned and drug his fingers through his dark, tightly curled hair. It was poking out in unwieldy angles.

"Do we have any food?" I asked, my stomach gurgled to be fed.

"We'll have to find a town. The rain ruined all the biscuits in my pack," he replied sourly.

He rubbed his eyes and finally noticed something amiss. He looked around the camp for a minute, his eyes searching and finally they landed on me. "Where is Elle?"

My voice caught in my throat. I couldn't tell him what I had done but he had to know. What would he think otherwise?

"She's…she is on her own adventure now," I sighed with disappointment.

"What does that mean?" Aramon demanded to know.

"She won't be coming home with us," I responded.

He mulled my answer over and then his dark eyes went wide, "She's not…"

"NO!" I answered before he could say what he thought, and what he thought was truly horrifying. His suspicious look bore into me for answers "Last night, I thought I had found shelter from the rain, so I came back to collect you both but since you were gone I took Elle. There was an abandoned castle but in that castle was a dragon. It gave me the ultimatum: Leave Elle there or die."

Aramon looked like he didn't know whether to believe me or not, but finally he had something to say about it, "So Elle is to be prisoner to this…this…dragon!? Darius, we have to get her back!"

"We will in due time my friend, but the dragon will kill me if I return. It swore so."

He was quiet. "We must return to Frell then."

I nodded in agreement. We packed our horses. I tried to convince Jaxor to eat some mulch but he refused, the spoiled equestrian he is.

I was damp and grumpy, not to mention hungry as we tried our best to follow the road. The downpour from before had washed the road away. It had been a very bad, unkempt road in the first place.

Since it took twelve days to venture out into this part of the country, it would make sense to be another twelve days before we reached the capital again. Northern Kyrria wasn't as inhabited as the southern part of the country. Aramon and I rode quietly through the forest. It was sprinkling lightly and a dank cloud hovered over us all day and it did nothing to lighten the mood. As the day wore on, we became ravenous.

I stopped to relieve myself and after that, pulled out my map again. We hadn't come to the fork yet that we had taken after leaving the last village, Gremmis. It was well into the afternoon.

"Darius, you are the worst navigator I have ever met," Aramon grumbled jokingly, but only because it was true after he saw me searching for our location again.

"We must have been in Dregat for awhile because dragons don't naturally dwell in Kyrria," I noted.

"Perhaps we were right on the boundary of Dregat?" Aramon suggested.

"Then where are we now?" I wondered aloud. Some geese honked as they flew above us. Geese travel south during winter, so naturally I thought we should follow them. They weren't flying fast so it was easy to keep up with them. It wasn't until they flew into low hanging clouds that we lost them. It was too misty and gray to spot them up there.

"Drat," Aramon said, searching the sky. "I could have at least gotten one for supper." Aramon is more than a fair archer and he did have arrows in his quiver and an itchy bow finger.

We continued on and still hadn't reached Gremmis, partially because we were guessing where the road was.

"Are we even going in the right direction?" Aramon asked.

"Yes," I snapped, I was tired of him questioning my navigating abilities.

Aramon jumped off his horse then.

"Where are you going?" I demanded.

"We have to find some food before we starve to death. I don't think we'll be reaching a village anytime soon!" he called wandering off into the woods.

I huffed in exasperation, then realizing I'd picked up Mandy's habit. I guess that is what happens when you grow up around people who you disobey all your life.

Jaxor grunted again, oh and I hadn't forgotten his hunger. The beast had been snorting all day for some kind of a meal.

I dismounted as well and looked for any living vegetation for him to munch on. The drizzle had stopped only to be replaced by another bitter breeze. Oh how I longed to be back at home, in the palace-where there was a fireplace in every room to keep me toasty, and Mandy to whip up a mug of hot cider, to sip on.

My thoughts hurt me though because even if I were at home, there wouldn't be any Elle to joke or laugh with. I really would have liked to be out of the cold though.

Aramon had been away for some time before I decided to find him again. I had been irritated with him for distrusting my navigations and he probably had felt the same about how I lost Elle and lost us as a matter of fact, but surly we had cooled our wits by then. It was only right to try and search for him.

"AR-A-MON!" I shouted, but the only answers were breezes rustling through dried up, brown leaves hanging above me, and not much of them at that. His horse followed me because it was a mindless creature that would die if it were left alone to make its own decisions.

It was growing darker, but slowly. I mean, it had been grey all day but now it was dimming as if one candle was being blown out at a time.

"ARAMON!" I tried again after seeing no signs of him. He couldn't have wandered that far from me on foot, I was becoming worried and baffled to why I couldn't locate him. It wasn't because of my so-called 'bad' navigation skills either.

An unsettling feeling fell upon me, and I couldn't quite place why. I was anxious to find Aramon but he was a full-grown lad with exceptional arching and hunting talents so he could take care of himself if danger came upon him. He pitched a tent in a storm the other night for crying out loud!

But something was wrong…

_CRUNCH!_

I had stepped on a fallen branch and it snapped, startling me, which unnerved Jaxor. He neighed troublingly, trying to back up.

"Easy there," I tried grabbing his reigns to pet him into calm but he started rearing.

"What the heaven's is your problem!?" I demanded, knowing full well he couldn't respond. There was an ancient hissing laugh behind me, slow, and had the effect of a chill creeping up my spine and freezing my organs. What now?

I braved to turn around cautiously with my hand at my hilt in case I was to be attacked. I didn't see a terrible monster or God forbid, another dragon, but 'twas only a waif-like creature adorned in molted leaves. It had a deep-set frown that reminded me of my awkward auntie Olive, and a smile that was not comforting but made me even more suspicious. It was one of those 'rebel sprites' I had heard of. It couldn't have been anything else.

"Horse trouble?" it grinned.

"No thanks to you," I blurted.

Its insane smile vanished. Drat! Why did I have to offend it?

First I lost us, then Elle, now Aramon. I was cold, tired, HUNGRY, damp, and now by the looks of it I was going to be at the mercy of a being that was no bigger than my knee.


	7. VI

It stared at me with black eyes. There was no other color except black.

"You're trespassing," It stated coldly.

"Dregat has no rulers, how can I be trespassing?" I snapped.

The rebel sprite laughed at me like I was a fool. "You're not in Dregat my boy, you're trespassing on Cillian Dremosa's land."

I stared blankly. If I wasn't in Dregat, then where was I? My navigation skills must have been pretty awful.

"Wait…who is Cillian Dremosa?" I demanded.

"The most powerful sorcerer in Clyone."

I felt myself pale. Of course! Only a rebel sprite would be in Clyone, a sorcerer as well. The land of Clyone was infested with magic because of the socerers' power and the rebel sprites running amok, casting small enchantments on animals and such. At least, that was what traveling adventurers told me about Clyone as they passed through Frell.

I wondered if the little thing was still offended at my accusation. I tried to pretend it never happened but I could tell the rebel sprite wasn't fond of me. I didn't make any sudden movements, but tried asking it a question.

"Have you seen another man in these woods. He's oh, about as tall as me with dark hair. He had a bow?"

The little creature's expression told me at once it had seen Aramon. It didn't say anything about him though. Just the way it smiled eerily tipped me off.

"Where is he? Which way did he go?" I asked anxiously, maybe I could catch up to him.

"No. I have him captured. He broke a law as you are doing now!" the rebel sprite was suddenly very passionate about what it was saying.

"Pray, what 'law' would that be?"

"No mortal man is allowed on Cillian Dremosa's land!"

"And why not?"

"You can't be told, but you have to adhere to the codes of penalty for your act,"

I didn't like the look about the rebel sprite that seemed to enjoy the thought of torturing me if it could. I didn't think it fair to be punished for something I didn't know I was doing. I ran that thought by the rebel sprite and in response it wiggled it's fingers and spoke a bizarre incantation. The dead vegetation around me snapped out for my limbs. Since my hand was always near my sword I unsheathed it and began slicing the tangle of roots and weeds.

Was this what happened to my poor friend Aramon? I leaped and dodged the tentacles of a shrub and held my sword up to the surprised rebel sprite. It must have caught Aramon off guard. A reason for that being that Aramon had bad reflexes, just good aim.

"Release Aramon to me now!" I shouted.

"He is paying for breaking the law!"

"Release him or I swear I will sever your head from your shoulders, sprite!"

"Cillian Dremosa will get his reven…" the rebel sprite tried to say but I put more pressure and less space between my blade and its neck. Its black eyes bulged.

The tangled of brush retreated from my boots and foolishly I drew back my sword expecting to negotiate with the creature. Not so, they aren't called 'rebel' sprites for nothing. Sneaky little buggers.

At once, the skeletal arms of the trees reached for me but the their branches were thick and my sword couldn't cut them through. Instead of wrapping around me, they barricaded me from the rebel sprite and from behind so I couldn't move in any direction. Trapped!

It came towards me in a saunter, triumphant it had beaten me. It was no more than a foot away and it stopped abruptly, took in a deep breath, and then stared at me in shock.

"You have dragon on you," It spoke with wide black eyes, sniffed again and backed up another foot.

It could _smell_ the dragon? What, did dragons leave a scent? I finally got my senses together and realized the rebel sprite was fearful. I could use this to my advantage.

"Yes, I have just visited my dragon friend," _friend INDEED! Humph!_

_"Friend!?!"_ the rebel sprite hissed.

"Yes, and if you harm me, he'll fly over here and eat you," I mentioned casually.

"NO!" it wailed.

Rebel sprites must have been gullible creatures. Smart, but horribly gullible.

"If you release me, and Aramon, I promise not to let the dragon eat you," I easily could promise such a thing. The dragon was preoccupied with my sister. I swallowed a lump that had formed by thinking of that.

The rebel sprite seriously considered the offer, "Cillian Dremosa will kill me if I let you and your friend walk his land."

I shrugged, "Then we shall leave, no one needn't know we've been here."

The offer of not getting eaten by a dragon for our freedom was too good to pass up I guess because the trees moved back to their rightful places. Then, the rebel sprite snapped its fingers and disappeared. A tree close to me twisted and produced snapping sounds in the process, sounding like breaking bones. I grasped my sword, ready for any other tricks the rebel sprite might have had, but the shape of the tree shrunk down into the form of Aramon. He laid there, in a passed out way. Was this another trick or was the tree really Aramon?

"Aramon?" I asked and nudged his shoulder with my foot.

He grumbled and rolled over, curling into a ball.

"ARAMON!" I kicked him in the back.

"WHAT?!" he shouted, fairly normal of his waking habits considering he had been turned into a tree for a couple hours.

"Get up, we need to get off this land,"

He stood and dusted himself off. He looked around and then stared at me inquisitively. "What happened?"

"You were transformed into a tree, my friend."

"No I wasn't!"  
"I just saw you go from tree to human," I tried convincing him.

"My limbs ache," he lifted his arm up and down, wincing.

"That's because you were a tree,"

"You're silly, how could I be tree and not remember?" he laughed at the absurdity.

It was very absurd, but very true. "A rebel sprite caught you off guard."

He stopped walking and frowned, "Oh! _That's_ what it was?"

"You _remember_ it?"

"It said something but I can't remember because I felt exhausted and fatigue, probably because of lack of nourishment," he cast an accusing glance at me; somehow hinting our hunger was my fault.

I was never bringing him traveling again if he thought my navigation skills were so bad.

We and our horses traveled back the way we had come, hopefully getting off Cillian Dremosa's land. We were far by nightfall, and decided to make camp again, since no village had crossed our path. Aramon started another fire while I tried to figure out how to pitch his tent. I never learned how to live outdoors, unlike my rustic friend.

"Heavens Darius, go find some food and let _me_ put up the tent!" Aramon exclaimed when the fire was a perfect roaring source of warmth. He shoved his bow and arrow at me and then picked up where I had left off on construction. He knew I couldn't arch! He was just trying to get rid of me! I huffed and swing the quiver over my shoulder, stalking off into the woods. Maybe I could find food and that'd show him! I weaved through the wood, trying not to run into a tree, especially one that had formerly been human.

The moon was bright enough to see be thank goodness, or else I would have been totally lost. There wasn't a sound to be heard except for my cautious footsteps. It was awhile of walking and then I saw a glittering of light through the trees. Oh no, not another rebel sprite! I walked closer, curiosity getting the better of me. Brushing away twigs and low hanging branches, I came to find that the glittering was the reflection of the moon on a wide lake. It was a beautiful lake, big, clear.

I set down Aramon's bow by the shore and cupped water into my hands to drink. The water was cold, refreshing and actually the most delicious water I had ever tasted, well as delicious as water can go. Wiping my hands off, I viewed the rest of the area around the lake. It was so quiet, but more peaceful than eerie. My feet had become tired of standing so I took a seat on the bank and unlaced my boots. Throwing them to the side, I dug my toes into the sand and smiled. The sand was cold but who could resist digging their toes into it?

Suddenly, I saw a shadow on the water and looked up, there flying silently was a waterfowl. A duck? A goose? I couldn't tell it was far away but it was circling about to land in the water. Food. Whatever I was, it was my dinner.

I hopped up, wanting to take aim at it before it landed. I grabbed an arrow out of Aramon's quiver and knocked it, drew the bowstring back, ready to shoot. I released the bowstring and the arrow flew towards it. Missed!? Well, I was a shoddy archer. I tried again but the missed and the waterfowl landed on the water's surface. I huffed in defeat and with a grumbling stomach.

Strange thing though, the bird was swimming closer and closer to me, even after I shot at it. Well, that was its loss; I could just strangle it to death if I could catch it. I stood at the edge of the water, the cold wetness biting at my toes, ready to catch it.

As it came closer, I finally saw that it was a white swan. Did swan taste good? Mandy never cooked it, and I had never tried any but I was ravenous.

The water beneath the swan started boiling. Oh no, please, no more surprises, I backed up a little.

It lifted its wings and started flapping; white feathers flew upward in a hasty molting. Water leaped over and around the bird. It puzzled me, what was happening??

Then, before my very eyes a tall, beautiful maiden stepped elegantly out of the water like she had just descended out of a carriage at a ball. But, she was then very un-maidenly when marched right up to me with a condemning scowl and demanded to know, "I could have been killed! WHY did you shoot at me!?"


	8. VII

I opened my mouth but no words would surface out. This woman had just been a dinner candidate. How was I supposed to know who she was when she had all that animal meat?

Her impatient icy blue eyes bore into me and her lips were pursed together, waiting for my response. "WELL?!"

"I…I…I…"I sputtered which was progress from my silence.

Her fingers were on my lips in an instant, "Shh!" she commanded and drew towards me, looking back at the lake in a squint. She sighed in irritation, "Cillian has come for me again. You must hide, for if you are found you will die. Don't make any sounds or movement." She removed herself from me and waded back into the water.

She turned around to face me when she was ankle deep. Seeing I had not moved an inch she mouthed 'HIDE' with a fierce frown. I grabbed my boots, bow and quiver, and dodged behind a tree to watch in utter bewilderment.

She smoothed out her slip of a dress with tattered ends. Her skin was so white, probably from the cold and the water. Why had she been in swan-form? Was she a witch?

No, she was gorgeous and witches were supposed to be ugly.

"Odelia? Odelia, my sweet!" I heard a sick-swooning male's voice from nowhere and again, right before my eyes a man materialized in front of me but his back was turned on me, facing the maiden. She put her arms behind her back and looked away, disinterested.

From behind I couldn't tell how old he was but he was as tall as me with long, red hair. He was wearing a heavy cloak and he too had his hands behind his back.

"Odelia, please look at me," he mock-begged. The tone in his voice told anyone he would never beg for something. She called him Cillian? Was he the same Cillian as the rebel sprite's 'Cillian Dremosa?'

Her blue eyes snapped upon him in disgust.

"That's a good girl,"

"The answer is 'nay' and tomorrow it will be 'nay' and every day for the rest of time I will say 'nay' to you, Cillian." She was cold, for there was no fondness in her voice.

"But you haven't even let me ask the question," he laughed.

"What is the use? You know my answer for the next thousand times you ask," she grumbled and looked away.

"You can always change your mind,"

"Never," she hissed quietly.

"Odelia, look at me when I talk to you!" he snapped, she took a moment and then laid her eyes upon him again. "There. Now…Odelia my beauty, my lovely, my pretty, my _swan_…will you agree to marry me?"

I almost made a gagging sound but held my breath to hear her answer that she had claimed to be nay.

Her expression softened and she smiled at him and he walked towards her hopefully. I was almost tempted to jump out and tell him to stop bewitching her but she wasn't bewitched at all by him.

He was inches from trying to kiss her; taking her smile as consent but her smile at once vanished and she glowered. "I will _never_ marry you, Cillian. Not for anything in the world, not even for freedom."

I could see him now. He looked about my father's age and stood upright. He had a fashionable beard and very broad shoulders. A handsome man but for some unknown reason the lass would not have him.

He glared viciously at her and grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. "I could just make you love me, and you wouldn't have a clue. You'd be mine willingly. Soon, Odelia I will be forced to use such enchantments on you if you continue to be so stubborn and foolhardy!" he threw her down into the water and vanished the way he had entered.

She was sitting in the water; slightly shivering and tears had formed in her eyes. They dribbled down her cheeks and made ripples in the water below.

"You…you…can come out now. It's safe," she tremblingly called to me and wiped her cheeks.

I looked in every direction cautiously and stepped out from behind the tree. I approached her form in the water. "Are you alright?"

She craned her neck to look up at me, study me, and then she looked down. "You know, I wish you had actually hit me with your arrow."

"Nonsense. What just happened here?" I had to know. It was all just too puzzling for me.

"Cillian wants to marry me,"

Well, that was the most obvious statement of the century.

"Yes, I figured by the way he asked you, but I think there's more to it than that. I mean you transformed from a swan into…well the shape you are now. Are there any other forms you can change into?"

She looked back up to me and raised an eyebrow. She shook her head sadly.

"My name is Darius, what is yours?" I heard Cillian say it but I was being polite.

"Odelia," she mumbled sadly.

"I apologize for shooting at you. I'm just very hungry," I said to fill her silence.

"Here," she held out her hand.

It was a dried piece of bread.

"Sometimes I convince the sprite to give them to me before it tears them up into little bits to feed me when I'm a swan," she explained. My stomach grumbled for it despite my spoiled taste buds' objections. I took it. It was dry but my saliva washed it down to calm my stomach.

"Here, let us get out of the water," I held my hand out and she took it. We sat on the shore eating stale bread.

"So why are you a swan?"

She sighed. "It's all Cillian's fault. We had a court wizard for many years that helped my father in tough times. Cillian was a knight to my father and was desperately in love with me. However, he started taking magic lessons from our wizard. The wizard was kindhearted and understood Cillian's lust for me and how he wanted a chance at happiness. When the wizard died of natural causes, Cillian was the only other person in the kingdom to solve problems by enchantment. He quit knight work and became the new wizard of the court. Alas, he was far more powerful by that time and corrupted with his greed. He wanted the kingdom. He turned my father's army into living trees that are throughout Clyone. The women sought shelter in the northern mountain with their younglings. Cillian then tried to force me to marry him and when I refused he cast a spell on me

_At sunrise a swan on the lake_

_At night a maiden from the moon above_

_The only way this spell will break_

_Is when a man confesses his love_

My parents begged him to retract the curse but he refused and part of this lake is made up of their tears." She explained.

Delicious water made from her parents' tears I thought.

"Anyway, I was banished to the lake to be a swan during daylight and myself at night. Cillian has asked me to marry him every night and you can see to why I refuse him. The greedy pig." She frowned and bit off a chunk of bread.

"So you were a princess?"

She nodded.

"Well we have something in common," I smiled.

Maybe there was something comforting about my smile or perhaps she anticipated a ridiculous comment.

"What?"

"I'm the crowned prince of Kyrria_,"_


	9. VIII

Her pleasant smile dropped at my admission. Maybe she did not know of the royal family in Kyrria, or perhaps she considered my remark too ridiculous, although I couldn't imagine why.

"The crowned prince of Kyrria is Lars,"

Lars!? Lars?! Did she just say 'Lars?!' Lars was my great, great, great grandfather according to my lineage tutor. He was my Grandpop's great grandfather, who was now very dead and had been for about a hundred and fifty years.

"No, madam. _I _am the crowned prince of Kyrria." I assured her with a nervous laugh.

She studied me intently; she thought I was lying to her. "Well," she turned her head away, "I simply do not believe you."

"I AM!" I insisted.

"If you are a prince then what are you doing out here and not in your castle?" she demanded to know.

"A prince doesn't have to stay in his castle. I have a very adventurous family. It's in our blood to be out and about," I explained.

"So what happened to Lars then, if you are the crowned prince? Was there a civil war? Did he die? Are you his cousin to replace him?" She shot many questions at once.

I only answered the important one though, "No. I'm his great-great-great-grandson."

She studied me again, thinking I was pulling a hoax. Those blues of hers were so meticulous as she stared at my features trying to discern the truth. She then must have realized I had no reason to lie to her; she turned her head away abruptly and laid it onto her knees that were pulled up to her body.

A question caught in my throat "You don't know how long it's been since…it happened?"

"I do not," she answered with a hardened voice.

"Cillian must have halted both of your aging processes…" I suggested to rationalize why they both weren't dead yet. She was surely over a hundred years old if she still thought my great-great-great grandfather was crowned prince.

"I had been waiting for death…hoping it was the way out," she spoke quietly, but then there came anger, "That SCOUNDREL! No wonder I'm still alive after all this time! I can't starve, I can't drown myself, I can't age, I can't freeze to death…I can't hurt myself until I accept his proposal which he will keep asking until the end of time!" she was up and pacing and throwing small rocks into the lake irately, disturbing it's tranquility. She stood on its shores, her thin and frail looking figure shaking with absolute outrage.

"You're arrow wouldn't have done me any favors," she crossed her arms with an irritated sigh and fell into a sitting position, still staring at the lake.

I felt sorry for the girl; she was in a nasty tight spot.

"So what if you _did_ accept his proposal? " I wondered.

"He'd win, and I would be even more miserable," she stated as a fact.

I sat down next to her and joined in staring out across the lake in silence.

"How did you find your way to Clyone?" She asked, slightly startling me.

"My navigation skills," I somewhat grumbled with sarcasm. She didn't seem to understand or care about my tone.

"Are you here alone?"

"My friend Aramon is back in the woods somewhere, and my sister was traveling with us…" I began but that lump caught in my throat.

"You say she 'was' traveling? Where is she now?" her head popped up in intrigue and worry.

"It's all my fault," I looked at the ground and tried concentrating on not showing any emotion. My combat instructor told me the men never cry. If an emotional moment should arise, we just look at the ground and it will pass.

I felt a cold hand on the side of my cheek, my head jerked up again but she saw the moon's reflection in my forming tears.

"Tell me," she said, but not in a demanding tone. She would listen, this I knew since she hadn't been able to talk with anyone in over a hundred years.

So I began to tell her about my family. I told her about mother and father, Mandy, Grandpops and grandmamma. I told her about odious Grandmum, Olga and how she smothered us when she hugged her step-grandchildren. I talked of Grandfather, whom I'd only met three times in my life because he was a merchant and was traveling more than my parents. I spoke of wild adventures (or what I considered to be adventures) I had with my siblings when I was younger. I even told her about the jam-eating incident. She listened intently, smiling at humorous parts, frowning when I spoke of memories when my feelings were hurt, and probably yearning for her own family to be with her again. I noticed sadness in her eyes.

"Then, we were going to travel here, to see the sea on another adventure, but it went sour." I frowned and continued informing her of how I ended up here.

"Elle is the most nurturing, talented, kind, and beautiful maiden I have ever known, and now I am returning home without her," I sighed, the lump growing so big I feared it would burst.

"You said the dragon promised you it wouldn't hurt her, so she is still alive," Odelia tried to comfort my thoughts.

"Still, it's a dragon. Dragons cannot be trusted," I growled inwardly.

We both sighed at the same time and continued looking towards the lake.

A fiery glow was touching the horizon and I realized Aramon was probably worried as to whether I was alive or not.

"I must leave," I stood, I grabbed Aramon's bow and quiver. I had donned my boots a while ago because me feet were cold.

"Please don't!" she grabbed my tunic in a surprising strong grasp and looked up at me with beseeching blue eyes.

"I'll come back," I told her. I couldn't just leave her to be hassled by Cillian every night. Besides he threatened to put enchantments on her to _make_ her love him, and I couldn't let that happen.

"Do you promise?"

I put my hand over my heart and she smiled in relief and let go. I started to walk into the forest, hungry again. The first rays of dawn were shining on the lake, so I turned around to watch the beauty. When I turned around though, Odelia was gone but there was a beautiful white swan paddling towards the middle of the lake.


	10. IX

The tent was up and the fire had died out. Hopefully Aramon stayed there, knowing I could take care of myself. "I'm back!" I declared as I dropped his arrows and bow by his pack.

"So you weren't turned into a tree?" I heard a grumbling from the tent.

I laughed with sarcasm. "No, something even more interesting happened."

He popped his head out and I will spare the details of how unruly his hair was. "Pray, do tell," He grinned with intrigue.

"I met a maiden,"

"Out here!?"

"She's under an enchantment,"

"Like sleeping beauty?"

"Sort of, except she doesn't have to sleep for a hundred years,"

"So how does her enchantment work?"

"She is a swan by day and a maiden by night,"

"A transfiguration enchantment? How very interesting," Aramon mused and rubbed his stubbly chin. I was growing slight whiskers as well since we hadn't slept in a proper inn in two nights.

"We must rescue her!" I declared.

"My friend, we must rescue _ourselves_ first," Aramon laughed and then I heard a monstrous stomach growl from inside him. My own wasn't content at all.

Jaxor neighed with annoyance and hunger upon hearing my voice. We all needed food, and badly. I looked at Elle's mare that had been following us. I imagined its meat, and then shook my head horrified. Elle would never forgive me if I ate her horse, then again I would probably never see my sister again. Plus, Jaxor would not allow me to ride him if I ate one of his kind. I searched for more possible solutions for our hunger problem. When I looked at Elle's mare again, probably imaging a horse steak, I noticed she still had her saddlebags.

If there was food in those saddlebags I would be overjoyed, and angry with myself for not looking in there earlier. Of course there was food in her horse's saddlebags. Elle wouldn't trust Aramon and I with the only food. There was a sack of honey cakes, a few carrots, and a handful of dried mushrooms.

I sighed beatifically, and handled the food ever so gently as I pulled them out.

"Oh," Aramon looked surprised, as I held a honey cake to him. "Thank you."

I took a bite of honey cake and my taste buds practically burtsted with joy. Jaxor grunted for attention. I gave him a carrot. He ate it faster than I had eaten my food. Aramon's horse received the next carrot and the last carrot I gave to Elle's mare for keeping the food with her the whole time.

We took a seat on the damp ground as I explained all that Odelia had told me the night before. Aramon looked thoughtful but came up with no ideas on how to save the poor girl.

"What should we do?" I asked.

"I don't know, what should we do?" he shrugged. "It seems as though she is in a predicament she cannot get out of nor win. The princess is doomed."

"Do you care at all?!" I demanded, shocked at his nonchalance on the whole issue.

"I care, but there is no need to risk our lives for a problem with no solution. This Cillian character sounds dangerous and just a little bit mad. Maybe she should just marry him to at least not have to go through the ordeal of being a swan everyday. I hear transfiguration enchantments are hard on the bones."

I groaned in annoyance at his logical conclusion that was most likely right. I had so wanted to help her though. She was fierce and beautiful, desperate and alone. Her fate didn't seem to fit her.

We seemed to be in a stalemate. I refused to leave without helping Odelia, and Aramon couldn't just leave without me. He decided to go hunting as I stayed and stewed. I warned him not to shoot any swan he might see however.

The next night I followed the path to the lake. She was already a human again, sitting on the shore and staring out across the lake. Instead of a sad, despair in her eyes like I had first seen. They were lit in happiness at my arrival.

"Darius!" She jumped up and hugged me. Her skin was too cold; I found it hard to believe she was still alive.

"Greetings, Odelia," I stepped back.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come back, but you did. I am so happy," she smiled. Her smile was dazzling. It reminded me of first snow back at home. In the morning, we would wake up and look out our windows and a white blanket of snow would be blindingly looking back at us. She was as cold in feeling as first snow also.

"I have been trying to figure out how to solve your problem, but it seems almost impossible." I said, her smile fell, and I felt horrible.

"Odelia…" I tried to get her to smile again, but instead she cocked her head to one side and her eyes went impossibly wide.

"HIDE," she whispered. It was all I needed to know I darted behind a tree right as Cillian appeared in front of her.

"Odelia, why are you smiling so?"

I resisted the urge to peek out from behind the tree and look at her smile he spoke of.

She instantly dropped it by the sound of her voice, "I was thinking how nice it would be if you were dead." The girl had stones to speak to him like that. He didn't appreciate it.

I heard him grab her and pull her close. "I will make my inquiry quick tonight, and you can answer quickly with a preferred yes or a repetitive no. But know this, if you said yes, you would be human again permanently, you would feel the cold no longer but sleep in a soft bed with warm blankets. You would eat delicious food and enjoy music and entertainment. The kingdom would be alive once more and not in this chaos you keep it in by refusing me."

He let her go roughly and she splashed farther into the lake. She kept quiet for very long moments, but finally whispered "No."

He simply growled and vanished.

I reemerged when I sensed he was good and gone.

"He is a scoundrel. It is not your fault the kingdom is in chaos," I told her when I saw her guilty, sad look on her face.

"He can hurt me so much with his words. He twists them to make it seem as if though _I_ am the selfish one." She sighed.

"Maybe you should tell him exactly why you hate him," I suggested.

"He would turn it against me and make me feel worse,"

"What if you just flew away?"

"What?"

"Flew far away one morning and then at night, when you turn back into a maiden, just keep walking farther away?" I asked.

"I need to be present on this specific lake in order to become a maiden again, I don't know why but Cillian's enchantment has made that rule. I flew away once, but never turned back into a human so by the time I made it back here, it was dawn and I had to be a swan all day." She explained.

"What if I just talked to him?"

She stared at me like I was mad, and perhaps I was. In my mind, I could use my superior negotiation skills to end her torture.

"Cillian will kill you on sight," she argued, and she was more that probably right.

"What if I bribed him?"

"Even if he somehow refrains from murdering you, there is nothing you can offer him that he doesn't already have or can obtain. The only thing he wants is I." she sounded as if though she had thought of deterrents for every possible solution. She had 150 years though to think about it.

"What if you agree…but only if you can have a guest at the castle? Then I come in, steal the wizard's book of spells and we escape and somehow find someone to reverse the enchantment?"

She sighed, "For one, Cillian will know you've spent awhile here if I ask you to be my guest, and he'll kill you. Secondly, Kyrria has no sorcerers or wizards that know how to reverse such spells because Kyrria banned magic. I would be forced to be a swan for who-knows how long."

"Well what do you propose we do?" I snapped, tired of her negative attitude for all my suggestions.

She looked at me sorrowfully and I did not know what the cause was. She wasn't upset that I had snapped at her. She sat on the shore without looking at me.

"Did your lineage tutor tell you much about your great-great-great grandfather?"

I didn't expect a question like that, or know what caused her to ask it.

"We focused on his life accomplishments, and his childhood achievements," I shrugged, I didn't remember much from the lessons.

"Did your tutor tell you that Lars was engaged to the Princess of Clyone before her country fell apart?"

No, my lineage tutor certainly did not mention that fact.

"You were engaged to Lars?"

"Lars was my best friend. When we were young, our families would visit one another in the summer. Lars and I would race around our castle gardens. When I went to Kyrria, we'd spend most of the summer exploring tunnels in the castle. It was very fun."

She must have been talking about what was now the old castle. My siblings and I had spend days trying to find those so-called 'tunnels' when were young.

"Anyway, our fathers saw us playing together summer after summer and decided it would be a good idea to arrange a marriage between us. We didn't mind because we already adored one another, and when we reached adolescence, Lars told me he loved me anyway."

"So why did he not come back for you?" I asked bitterly, her story was very depressing.

"When I did not show up to his kingdom in our seventeenth summer to be wed, he came back to Clyone. All he saw though was a deserted kingdom. Nothing was left; Cillian wasn't at the castle that day and all the people had fled. The soldiers were trees. All that Lars saw was a swan.

I swallowed hard; knowing the next thing she would tell me would be heartbreaking. "Was the swan you?"

"Yes, and I flew up to him, overjoyed that he had come to rescue me. But he didn't know of Cillian's spells. He swatted me away in dismay, and that was the last time I ever saw him."

"It's heartbreaking, truly." I stated.

"Whom did Lars wed instead?" she asked abruptly, jealously.

"Oh, um, I recall it was a lady of our own court, Cecily…"

"Silly Cecily?" she gasped and then to my surprise started laughing. When she saw I was looking for an explanation she stopped and obliged, "Cecily was a little girl who would try following us down the castle tunnels. She was very gullible and so we told her that leprechauns lived at the end of this very long tunnel. We gave up trying to find her after that. I bet Lars did not love her."

"My tutor told me he did travel extensively," I admitted, and it reminded me of my own parents' constant absence. Did my parents love me?

Odelia was quiet again, that probably meant she was melancholy once more. Why shouldn't she be? She had lost her love, her freedom and practically her life. I had to help her; it just wasn't fair.

"Do you know why Cillian Dremosa forbids any male mortal on this land?" Again she had startled me with an unexpected question.

"Because he is deranged." I shrugged with my best guess.

"No, well yes, but he doesn't want any man to see me in my human form,"

Odelia was in fact, very easy on the eyes, but I did not understand the connection she was trying to make.

"Why? What happens if a man sees you like I see you?" I wasn't going to have some horrible spell cast on me was I? Cillian couldn't have devised an enchantment to punish those who looked upon Odelia.

"I can tell them everything, even how to break the spell."

"Wait, you know how to break this?" I asked dumbfounded. If she knew, then why hadn't she tried breaking it herself?

She jumped up and rolled her eyes, "You are impossible!"

"What did I do?" I cried as she started walking away, into the lake. I guess I had lost track of time and dawn was approaching.

"I told you how to break the spell the night I first saw you!" she shouted.

I had to think about it, and did not remember the occurrence. Then I looked out to her thin form, standing knee-deep in the lake. The lake!

She had said, "_At sunrise a swan on the lake_

_At night a maiden from the moon above_

_The only way this spell will break_

_Is when a man confesses his love_."

A man had to break the curse. That was why Cillian ordered that all male mortals be disposed of. I was a man! I could break the spell! But, in order for that to happen I would have to fall in love with Odelia, and I had never fallen in love before.


	11. X

A/N-This is pretty long because I want to get each of Ella's children's stories within 11 chapters, and I had a lot left to write about Darius's situation. Please enjoy!

-Next up will be the story of what is happening to Kellin back in Kyrria, very interesting things will be going on there.

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She was gone, a white spot in the sky, before I could ask her how to fall in love. I shook my head and made my way back to the tent.

Aramon was munching on a deer leg and I was instantly jealous. "Where did you get that?"

"I shot it dead," was his answer.

I sat down beside him, "Is there any chance that you might share?"

He finished chewing and swallowed, "Is there any chance of us leaving? The longer we stay here, the longer your sister stays with the dragon you do realize?"

He was unbelievable!

"I think there is a way to break her enchantment," I said, taking my mind off Elle. He looked doubtful, so I told him the exact words Odelia had told me.

"You? Fall love with _her?_ I've heard some crazy things before but that is at the top of my list," he laughed.

"Why do you doubt it?"

"Darius, you don't even fancy Miss Farrah, one of the most beautiful maidens in Kyrria, how can you expect me to believe you could fall in love with a swan?"

" Because she won't be a swan anymore if I confess that I love her! The spell will break and she can be free!"

Aramon sighed, "My friend, there is more to love than doing it to save someone. You must have great feelings for this maiden in order to be truly in love with her. You must be willing to sacrifice your very life if she comes into harms way, you must yearn for her every waking moment, and you must notice the little things about her and love those as well. When you have an overwhelming sensation that is unnamable when you set your eyes upon her, then you shall be in love."

I pondered his words; indeed I had never felt that way about any maiden I had come across in my life. Perhaps it was because they were flaunting, and dished out meaningless compliments only to win my favor. Then I snapped my gaze onto Aramon, "Since when have you ever been in love??"

He looked taken aback, and embarrassed. His cheeks turned red, "I haven't… I just know. Hush up and focus back on your lass's problem!"

"Who?"

"It's none of your business," Aramon snapped.

"Oh come on! At least tell me if she's from my country or yours," I laughed at my newfound information. Aramon…in love!?

"She's Kyrrian, and that is _all _I will tell you," he positively glared.

"Does she love you back?" I couldn't help but to wonder.

"It doesn't matter, I could never have her anyway!" he shouted angrily at me, as if it were my fault. I let the issue drop there, and focused back on Odelia's dilemma.

After eating another one of Aramon's deer legs, I succumbed to sleep and crawled into Aramon's tent. For the past two days I had slept during the day so I could visit Odelia at night, and Aramon would hunt all day and sleep during the night. Dawn and dusk were the only times we saw each other. I never dream. That is how the days went by, I would wake at dusk, catch Odelia turning back into a human, we would sit and talk until either Cillian barged in and I hid, or when dawn arrived. We talked of how I could break the spell, but I always insisted I did not know how to fall in love.

One time I awoke, it was dark outside. I found myself thinking it was amazing that no rebel sprites had stumbled upon our camp, or Cillian Dremosa for that matter.

Aramon was sharpening his arrowheads when I stumbled out of the tent.

"How long has it been dark out?"

"About two and a half hours," he shrugged. I was late! I ran into the woods towards the lake but I heard voices, as in someone else was with Odelia.

"No,"

"But I love you,"

"No you don't,"

"Yes I do,"

"Cillian, if you really loved me, wouldn't your own spell break because you are a man confessing your love?" she noted logically.

He didn't answer. He just grumbled and vanished without another word to her.

She looked very nonchalant as I emerged from the wood.

"Please, break the spell," she looked at me with beseeching eyes, obviously exhausted from dealing with Cillian again.

"It's hard to fall in love…" I began, "and I don't know how to."

"Are you saying I'm hard to fall in love with?" she smiled teasingly at my repetitive statement but looked worried and quickly explained, "I'm only cruel to Cillian, I would never put you or any man what I put him through every night. I'm only showing him the courtesy he's shown me thus far."

"No, you are a charming lass, I don't think it would be hard to fall in love with you at all… but I don't know how to fall in love, as I said before,"

"Oh," she seemed disappointed.

We stood, facing each other in silence for a couple moments. My, it was awkward. I wonder how father fell in love with mother. I recall that they knew each other for some time and they started out as friends. Although, Kellin told me that in some private letters he had found in a secluded section of the library, that father wrote to mother confessing that he had loved her since he first met her. Could love happen so fast?

"So how was your life before Cillian ruined it?" I asked and clamped my mouth shut, it was a rude sort of question but I was curious.

She wasn't offended at all, instead folded herself up and sat down, ready to tell a tale.

"Well, it was fun. I was first born in my particular line so all inheritance was mine or my future husband's when I was old enough to wed. I had four younger brothers, they fought all the time and played pranks on one another," she smiled at long forgotten memories. The part about pranks reminded me of my own family.

"My father was kind, my mother was strict however. She kept saying to me "_Odelia, you must sit up straight. Odelia, please don' speak so loud!"_ but I would soon forget only to be reprimanded again. I was never lonely, maybe that is why I hate being alone now." She sighed and gave me a sideways glance, "I am _so_ happy that you found me, Darius."

Something inside my stomach tingled, or I think it was my stomach. It was caused by when she said the last line. "_I am so happy that you found me, Darius."_ Why did my stomach or something around my stomach tingle?

"I'm happy to have found you," I found myself smiling.

She was playing with strands of her hair as she told me more about her life before Cillian. She absently braided them, and then un-did them. One side of her lip would curve up in a half-smile when she remembered something happy; I suppose she never smiled all the way because she knew that those times would never happen again. She would also blink many times after telling a fond memory, probably to keep from crying. After all, all that she had loved was gone. When she would mention Lars, her eyes fixated on me, searching my face.

"Why do you do that?" I asked after she had done it at least ten times while telling her stories.

She didn't act coy, which was a relief. I find coyness very frustrating. So she told me straight, "You sort of look like him, you have the same light blue eyes." Then her lip curled up into a half-smile "I remember one of the last times I spent with him was when we were laying on a grassy knoll in the gardens. It was late August, which meant he would be returning to Kyrria soon, and the leaves were a furious red on the trees around us. But we were joyful nonetheless because the next summer we were to be married. The sky was a bright blue, and when I looked into his eyes, they were the same shade of blue as the sky. He told me, he said, "_Odelia, I will love you always and forever."_"

She continued to half smile, but blinked many times, while absent-mindedly braiding and unbraiding strands of her hair.

"And you will always and forever love him back?" I asked, feeling heartbroken for her loss. In a way she reminded me of my sister in this situation. My sister was a prisoner; probably never to be loved again as Odelia had been fated.

"I _would _have loved Lars always and forever, but I can't live in a fairy tale. Lars has been dead for a very long time, and he broke my heart when he ignored me when I tried greeting him that last time."

"You were a swan though, he didn't know!" I argued, defending my great, great great, grandfather.

"Yet, it was odd that a wild swan would so willingly approach a human like that. Such matters should be investigated, especially when one comes across a desolate kingdom that had only been thriving the summer before, and when one's love hath disappeared." She countered bitterly.

I saw her point.

"He didn't even _try_ to find me. He simply rode in, looked around and decided I was gone for good…" she blinked rapidly as tears filled her blues. Her voice was filled with such pain as she mumbled once more before her tears fell, "he never even _tried_."

I was hugging her in an instant, trying to comfort her through her painful memories.

She looked up at me with wide eyes that seemed as if though they were made of glass from the tears' reflections in the moonlight. My stomach knotted that time. The way she was looking at me caused the knots, but they weren't painful. It was a different sensation.

And yet, another sensation occurred, when she yawned and laid her head onto my chest tiredly; my neck developed goose flesh. She had told me a lot about herself, and it was understandable since she had no one to talk to for a very long time. I was her sole confidant. I rested my cheek on her the top of her head and caught the scent of her hair: pine. It was nothing like the perfume owned by the girls at court. They had strong flower and fruit scents. The fresh pine aroma caused a shiver in my spine, especially coming from a girl, because no girl had ever smelled so earth-like.

"I wish you could fall in love with me," she murmured very quietly, tranquilly, and I had to lean closer to even hear her.

"I wish I could too," I said, meaning it. I wanted to save her so badly, and she was resting almost peacefully in my arms, which was causing all sorts of sensations to wash over me.

Her lips parted in an amazing smile, the same kind that reminded me of first snow. If I could save her, then she could smile like that all the time. Without knowing what in the world I was doing, I bent my head further towards her and met her lips. We shared a long, sweet kiss. Her lips tasted like the fresh autumn raspberries that Mandy used in pies. The raspberries that I loved so much, I had to snatch them from the counter when Mandy wasn't looking because I was too impatient to wait for the pie to be done baking.

I opened my eyes and hers were closed. Wait, I wasn't in love with her! Why was I kissing her if I didn't love her? The sensations were to blame, they made me feel good, they made me feel it was alright to listen, smell, taste, touch, and look at her. I stopped the kiss and pulled away in my confusion.

"What's wrong?" she cried. I took hold of her shoulders and forced myself away from her. I was just leading her on and I couldn't break her enchantment. I didn't know anything about falling in love.

"I'm sorry," I choked out in regret, stood, and ran into the woods leaving her behind. Light was hitting my back and I didn't even hear evidence of her transformation, not even the call of a swan.

"Aramon! Aramon!" I called as I arrived to our camp.

I heard incoherent mumblings from within the tent.

"Aramon, I think I've screwed up,"

"That's not a very reassuring comment from a future king, why? What happened this night?" he crawled out, now with a short beard growing on his chin. We both really needed to shave.

"I kissed her," I admitted.

He raised his eyebrows as he dug a honey cake out of the sack.

"But, I don't why I did it. I think it could be because of what you said. Doing what I thought I should be doing to fall in love instead of actually from falling in love."

Aramon shook his head, "You have me lost. Go back to the part about what I said."

I sighed and slumped to the ground, "I might have only kissed her because that's what I thought I _should_ do if I wanted to fall in love to save her, not because I actually was in love with her."

"Ah," he simply grunted as he ate his breakfast.

I joined him, because I had nothing else I wanted to say. I didn't want him laughing at my connection between the taste of her lips and raspberries. Or how she smelled like pine and that was unique. I had no doubt that I cared what happened to Odelia; I cared very much that she be happy after all that she had been through. It was from a sense of fairness that she should be rid of her enchantment.

I did not go back the next night, or the next, because I did not know how to deal with what had happened that night. I did not want her to be angry with me. I would lie awake instead those nights, thinking about her. Wondering what she was doing, or what she would be telling me if I wasn't so cowardly and confused about my feelings. I would sleep on the ground while Aramon occupied the tent, and always wake up with a sore back.

I could bear it no longer after the third night of not seeing her so I snuck to the lake and watched her. She sat on the shores, wandered around fallen driftwood, once she drew shapes in the sand with a stick she found. Most often though, she would hum or sing tunes. They were songs I wasn't familiar with but nevertheless her voice resounded beautifully across the lake. I always avoided seeing Cillian show up and heckle her for a marriage approval. I didn't want to witness it if she ever did agree, although I'm sure she always refused him.

I so wanted to talk to her again, especially one time when she silently cried after humming a sad tune. For some reason though, I wouldn't let myself go to her, just in case my comforting turned into another kiss.

It had been weeks since Aramon and I entered Clyone. Aramon kept a steady meat supply from his hunts, but game was becoming scarce. It was getting colder and colder, and even though all of the circumstances were getting worse and Elle was still trapped in Dregat, I refused to leave.

"Come, Darius, why should we stay if you are not in love and cannot break the spell. What is left for us here?" Aramon was at it again, trying to convince me to leave.

"I just can't leave her," I argued grumpily but I could provide no reason to why.

"If we do not depart by tomorrow morning, I _will_ leave you and go back to civilization. I am tired of maintaining the fire, food, and shelter while you sit around moping, and I want to shave." He spoke decisively, not even in a joking manner.

I sighed in response. I wasn't moping.

Instead of trying to sleep that night, I snuck out to the lake one last time. I wanted to watch her all night. The moon was pouring its pale light onto the lake, and onto the swan at its edge.

She transformed into her beautiful self, looked around with hope but after a minute or two the hope shattered and she kicked her foot so water splashed onto the sand. Then she did something I had not seen before, it was as though she was pretending someone else was with her. She curtsied to the air, and waited for the imaginary person to bow back. Then she started to dance with her imaginary figure. Her feet left indents in the sand but she closed her eyes and hummed the music for her dance. This went on for hours, with many different dances. I noticed that Cillian was late that night, which made me dread his appearance to ask Odelia to marry him. But I was determined to watch her until dawn. I was also wondering when she would take a break from gavottes and waltzes. But she twirled and twirled, with a pleased smile on her face. That was until Cillian appeared behind her.

"Why are you smiling so?" he demanded, but amused at her antics.

"Do I need a reason?" she stopped dancing abruptly and asked sweetly, but it was a false sweetness.

"I find it odd that you look so…joyful upon my arrival when for one hundred…I mean for a long time you have only been malevolent to me."

"Why shouldn't I be malevolent? You killed my family and put an atrocious spell on me!" she suddenly screamed in pure hatred, finally taking my advice and telling him why she hated him.

He stepped back alarmed, perhaps it was the first time in a hundred and fifty years she had finally accused him of his crime. She whirled around suddenly, splashing into the lake. "I never want to be a human again! Then I can just be a swan and fly away. I will fly away and never ever talk to you again. I won't have to talk to anyone. I might get shot and roasted, but I don't care because I will never have to look at you ever, ever again!"

She dropped into the lake so she was sitting in the cold water up to her waist. She was suddenly sobbing uncontrollably. I bet she had never sobbed in front of Cillian before, perhaps as an act of bravery. He looked so struck, so shocked at her behavior, as if it was the first time he'd ever seen anything like it.

"I hate you Cillian, I hate you so much. That is why I can never accept your proposals. I've been trying to starve, drown, and freeze to death for so long but to no avail. I'm not going to beg for freedom, nor obtain it by letting you get what you want. You don't deserve it. "

I wanted to go to her, to comfort her. She was at wits end, forever stuck in a young women's form.

He gathered his thoughts and clicked his tongue at her behavior. I would expect him to feel a little bit of sympathy for her but he truly was selfish and mad. "My dear, your father would not share his kingdom with me, I was not receiving the benefits I had worked so hard for." He spoke ludicrously, advancing closer, but behind her. He kneeled down as she stared into nothing, with a dreadful sadness in her expression.

"I'm afraid it's time for you to finally love me," he said. She whipped her head around startled by his words and he grabbed her flailing arms as she tried to escape him. "It's a shame, you will become more docile, and I rather did like your spark of obstinacy."

He held her in the water solidly, as she struggled. With his free hand he cupped her cheek and started to mumble incantations.

NO! This couldn't be happening. I knew deep down though, that this moment was coming. Cillian had forecasted it the first night that I was here. I was the one that had noticed her quirks, her constant braiding and un-braiding of her hair. He knew nothing about it. I was the one who had spent the last several weeks thinking of her, I bet she was only a thought on his nightly agenda. If he really wanted to marry her, he'd be asking her all night. Now he was going to make her love him, so then he could know what it was like to smell pine and taste raspberries. I couldn't allow him to taste raspberries, and feel that joy.

An overwhelming and unnamable feeling swept through me, as I stepped out from behind that tree from which I had been hiding. "Let. Her. Go." I spoke shortly and angrily.

Cillian was alarmed, and broke his concentration from bewitching her into loving him. "What is this? A mortal man on my land?"

"Darius!" Odelia cried, overjoyed at the sight of me.

"So you two are acquainted?" he growled. He was conspired against. He pointed at me and suddenly many rebel sprites were attacking and I did not have my sword. They jumped onto me and wrestled me to the ground, shoving my face into the sand.

"Do you fancy being an oak, or perhaps a walnut?" Cillian laughed madly as I felt my bones turning hollow.

"Stop it! Leave him alone, it is me you want!" Odelia screamed angrily and fearfully.

He turned his attentions and loomed over her, "You are right, my pretty, it is you who I want." He pinched the back of her neck and she became limp but was still conscious. He held her and began to recite the incantations as before.

I felt twigs brush in front of my eyes that were witnessing the rising sun on the opposite side of the lake. I realized the twigs were what only a moment ago was my own hair. I was transforming into a tree! A tree I would be then, but not before I told her how I felt.

"ODELIA! I LOVE YOU!" I yelled, and then I was catapulted backwards, landing in the soft sand. The rebel sprites backed off, fearing the magic that was wrapping around the lake.

"CUR!" Cillian spat at me. I was reforming into human shape; I was able to move my legs once more. I felt my hair and it was prickly like it had always been.

Odelia was unconscious when I looked to her. Cillian Dremosa was furious and coming at me! I was unarmed, and I bet he still had the upper hand with his magic abilities.

He stopped approaching though as there was an enormous blast and a ring of energy and magic that seized the lake. Odelia glowed from some inner light, and then washed ashore and laid still. I ran to her and kneeled beside her form. Would she rapidly age from all the time that had passed since she was cursed? Would she die? The enchantment must have been broken for one, I had confessed my love, and two, it was dawn and she was still human.

"Odelia," I whispered, leaning over her body, nudging it lightly. Her blues opened slowly and she smiled once she realized it was I.

I was grabbed from behind in a chokehold by Cillian and pulled away.

"Stop it Cillian!" Odelia screamed outraged.

"No, he has taken the only thing I wanted!" Cillian shouted back like a small child who had not gotten his way.

Odelia jumped up and ran at us, she barreled into Cillian's side so he fell with a large 'thump'. She then jumped onto him and started punching his face repeatedly.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" she yelled over and over, her blows matching her chant.

I felt kind of awkward, here I was, her prince charming and she was beating the villain. I coughed to get her attention. She momentarily stopped beating him but in that moment he held his hand out and she levitated high up into the air.

I ran towards him, "Let her go!"

He smiled, "Oh."

Odelia shrieked as she fell but she was caught and levitated again to the original height.

"Come closer and I drop her,"

"If you ever loved her you would never hurt her," I snarled.

"I loved her until she made my face bleed," he snarled back just as unpleasantly.

"You did not love me at all!" she yelled at Cillian and he waved her around which caused her to shriek even more.

I did not know what to do. How was I to get her back? Luckily for me, Aramon had decided to stop waiting and find me so we could go home. Cillian cried out as an arrow pierced through his chest. He lost his magical grip on Odelia and she fell. I ran and dove to catch her fall. It was less elegant than I had imagined it to be. I had sand in my mouth, and she was sprawled on the ground next to me, but nothing was broken.

"Looks like you needed aid," Aramon shrugged as he stepped over a writhing Cillian Dremosa. "You must be Odelia," he bowed to her, even though she was lying on the ground awkwardly.

A horrible gasping noise came from Cillian and then he was silent.

"I shot him dead," Aramon mused.

"You're a wizard with that bow, I must admit," I grunted and stood, helping Odelia up as well. We dusted the sand off of ourselves. Odelia wrapped her arms around me and whispered, "I love you too." Again, I had the pleasure of tasting raspberries.

"Can we _please_ go," Aramon groaned, "I have the horses packed and everything!"

"Why is it so cold?" Odelia suddenly noticed that it was October.

"She needs to change into something more suitable for travel." I decided.

Much to Aramon's annoyance, we took time out of travel and entered the abandoned castle of Clyone. It was actually on the other side of the lake, hidden behind many trees that used to be part of the gardens Odelia had been so fond of. Cillian had kept it up, probably with magic. Odelia fought back the urge to reminisce and quickly changed into warmer attire she found still in her wardrobes.

While she was changing, I noticed a huge leather-bound book sitting in the main entrance. Most likely, the book of wizardry Cillian had been using all those years. I decided to take it back as a gift for my poor left out brother who would have _loved_ this little adventure.

We finally departed from Clyone.

"I will never want to return to that place," Odelia swore under her breath from atop Elle's mare.

"Me neither," Aramon agreed.

My mind was elsewhere however, Elle was still a prisoner, but it would take more than Aramon's bows to free her. I would need more help to free my sister. A wizard is a powerful being but he is still a man, and I can fight another man. Yet a dragon is a powerful being, but it is a beast, and I cannot fight a beast.

After awhile of traveling, with Odelia and I throwing suggestive glances between one another, I heard Aramon sigh happily. I looked up and finally we had reached the village, Brilet and finally we both could shave.


	12. Kellin

I didn't know whether I should have been angry as hell or bored to tears. I had lost once again and now, my punishment was to face all courtly duties and responsibilities on my own. Mother and father weren't there to help, and certainly not my brother and sister who I had just watched, gallop away. Gerard and Jernigan were _not _going to be happy once they learned of my siblings' departure. Mandy had already thrown up a fuss but she couldn't make them stay. Gerard and Jernigan could have. They were royal counselors with the power.

I sighed heavily and trudged indoors to nowhere in particular. Many courtiers bowed to me as I trudged past, none of them however cared to ask me why I was so disheartened. That's me, Kellin, the overlooked child. Darius was high prince and Elle was the only princess of Kyrria. They were doted on far much more than I.

I had half a mind to write my parents a letter, telling them of my brother and sister's plan to ride to Clyone without escort and Aramon didn't count as a proper one either! I found I was headed to the study to just so. Alas, I realized I was being a sore loser and neither Darius nor Elle would be so sour to betray because they didn't get their way. Instead of the study, I found myself in the library where I usually find myself when I wander the castle. I shrugged and decided to pull out a volume to read before Gerard or Jernigan hunted me down, demanding explanations of why my siblings were suddenly missing. The massive book I had randomly selected held the subject of differing countries of the world. Well, at least ones that Kyrria's travelers had been to and had the fortune to make it back to tell the tale.

There was so much information on Ayortha, probably since Kyrria and Ayortha had been allies for at least five hundred years. Darius had recently spent a year in the Ayorthan court, another reason for me to be jealous of him. I knew far more about Ayortha than he did, even when I was stuck in Frell for most of my whole life.

Why did I know so much? Was it because I never did anything else except learn when I was younger? I felt kind of disgusted with myself for being such a boring character. The only thing I could think of that was remotely an exciting personality trait was that I had a fascination for magic.

You wouldn't know by the looks of Kyrria, but our country is a rather conservative place magic-wise. We have exotic animals; the most in the world but magic is almost forbidden in Kyrria. Fairies are the only ones who can get around the laws though, by hiding and disappearing. Gnomes can read the future, but that is not considered magic. It is forbidden that any wizard or sorcerer training be done. It is also punishable if one is caught performing acts of witchcraft or alchemy.

Maybe that is why Mandy is always so annoyed when I ask her to do magic, just to see what it is! Mother made a mistake telling us that Mandy was our fairy godmother at a young age.

"Mandy, I wants to see you do a fairy thing!" I shouted, bored at watching her beat eggs for pancakes.

_"Not so loud love," Mandy shushed._

_"But Maaaaannn-deeeeeee…" I wailed, a spoiled, five- year- old prince that had failed to get what he wanted._

_"Shh, look at those egg shells," she pointed to the counter._

_I did look, transfixed as they levitated and dived into the garbage bin. "WOWWW!!!" I shouted, as I was easily amused at the smallest of magic._

This worked for many years, Mandy would do a small trick and I would be satisfied. As I grew older though, my fascination didn't wane and my demands were bigger. Of course, Mandy would never do big magic. I asked mother to make her do magic but mother insisted that Mandy would do big magic when the sea would flow to Kyrria. Kyrria is land locked, so mother was basically saying that Mandy would never do big magic. Ever. So I set out to the library to find books about the types of magic and where they existed so that someday I might venture there to witness it.

My closest chance however, was ruined as soon as I picked the shortest straw Darius had held.

I stared at the straw in my palm, Elle's was longer and so was my brother's. I felt my heart sink; almost break if it were possible. I looked at them with beseeching eyes, 'But…but…" I stammered, not believing how horrible my luck was.

"_Kellin, this was a fair draw!" Darius exclaimed seeing I was not taking his victory well._

"_I know, but Clyone is full of…magic," I sighed on the last word._

"_We don't know that for sure, those are just traveler stories!" Elle chimed in to lessen my grief._

_I nodded sorely and walked out of the room without another word. I had lost; I was the one to stay home._

Stories or not, I still wanted to travel outside of Kyrria, Frell for that matter. When I was younger, I remember taking a few trips to Ayortha though. It was to visit Areida, mother's best friend. My, did Areida have a big family as most Ayorthans do. Aramon, Adronus, and Aris were her three eldest sons, all one year apart. Then, if I remember correctly, she skipped a year of birthing and then there were the daughters Alynda and Awarisa. I was eight the last time our family journeyed to Ayortha. Elle and I were aged in that missing year of Areida's brood so we became fond playmates of Aris and Alynda. Areida has probably produced even more children since then. She could have at least 11 by now! The library's silence was horribly disturbed, and so were my reminiscent of Ayortha when Jernigan barged in with his cries of "Kellin!" reverberating off the high walls. He knew where I dwelled.

I slid the informative volume back into its place on the shelf and emerged into Jernigan's view.

"Yes?"

"Kellin, it is nearly suppertime and your brother and sister are nowhere to be found! Do you know where they have run off to?"

I sighed; I would probably be the one to get in trouble for _their _behavior. "Why don't we take a walk to dinner and I shall tell you there?"

We made it to the dinner table where sometimes, if were all there at once, our family and royal councilors would eat. I could tell Jernigan was about to discombobulate with questions if I didn't tell him soon. I sat at my place, wondering what Mandy had made for the evening meal but Jernigan was persistent.

"We're here, your majesty. Now pray tell the whereabouts of your siblings. This is no time for games!" he exclaimed. The man had a harsh voice. Rough as bark of a great oak tree. He was taller than father even, with a scrupulous glare and a condescending character. I rather did not like Jernigan.

"Patience Jernigan, he will tell us soon enough." Gerard, the other head royal counselor cut in calmly, he then set his gaze upon me, "Won't you lad?"

Gerard was much more of a comforting presence in my opinion. He seemed wise with a crinkle around his blue eyes when he laughed. He was rational, reasonable, and reliant. Jernigan was much too stuck up to laugh, and it was hardly tolerable in the current monarch, who was a unit that loved to play games and most of all, laugh.

Jernigan sat down at his place in the table. I waited for them to be partially distracted by their appetizers of steamed vegetables before I spoke.

"Darius and Elle, as you have already guessed are indeed missing," I chose my words carefully for all who accompanied me were now riveted on my every word…for once.

I stabbed a carrot with my fork and pretended it was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. No doubt it was delicious because Mandy had prepared it.

"Sire, do you know where they have gone?" Jernigan was growing impatient, but trying to remain respectful.

"Indeed, Jernigan." I answered simply, finally taking a bite.

He was turning red, and I knew becoming very, very frustrated.

I rose in my seat, deciding to tell all "Gentleman, and good lords of my father's council…my siblings have decided to ride to Clyone, and they departed earlier this afternoon."

There was a collective gasp and then semi-loud chatter between them.

"What do you mean? How could they?" Jernigan sputtered. If anything happened to them, it would be his head.

"Did they at least take the guard with them?" Gerard was worried too, but displayed it more subtly.

"No, but Darius took Aramon of Aderaton," I mentioned.

"Aramon of Aderaton is no more older than Darius himself! How can he be expected to protect the crowned prince and lone princess of Kyrria?!" Jernigan was frantic now. His frown was becoming deeper.

"My brother is nineteen, he is man with outstanding combative skills and sword training. Aramon of Aderaton is a master bowman and hunter. As for Elle, she is clever, is sufficient in all exotic and foreign tongues, and is the bravest wench I've ever seen. So gentleman, fear not because I do trust that they are safe." I announced with solidarity, although I'm not sure if I was allowed to call my own girl twin a 'wench' in front of such highbred men. My words were not to be contested and then, the lot of them realized that since Father, Mother, Darius, nor Elle were currently present at the castle…I was now the royal member in charge of keep.


	13. XI

You'd think that someone in charge would be able to do whatever he or she wanted. I'd never relished being ignored until then. I couldn't steal away to the library for hours like normal. I had to always be watched, in the presence of either Gerard or Jernigan. They probably feared that I would run off just as the rest of my family had done. Why couldn't my parents just stay in one place for once? Their constant expeditions and journeys were not a good example for us children.

I was busy being bored out of my mind while a counsel session was in order. They were discussing punishment for bandits. I had never been robbed so I didn't care enough to pay attention. My thoughts wandered back to how my family was always gone. What if the entire Kyrrian monarch ran away from home? Who would step up and rule then? Would Kyrria be proclaimed in a state of chaos like the kingdom of Clyone? Or would all Kyrria's subjects flee to Ayortha? In that case, Kyrria would be a dead kingdom just as Dregat was one. Ayortha would be the last ordered monarch in the world! The cold lands to the east were thought naught to have any rulers, and there was the Musorgian territory which little was known about. There was a county to the south of Ayortha however, across the Southern Sea…

"What are your thoughts on the matter your highness?" Jernigan's harsh voice cut through my musings, I looked in perplexity at him thinking he would probably take over if my family ran away from home. That was not a comforting thought.

"Maybe they are bandits because we cannot provide them with they need," I told.

Gerard looked thoughtful, "go on, your majesty."

I had planned on stopping there but it looked as if I must continue, "What causes a bandit? They rob what they need, food, water, shelter…if that is why, then what good are we as a ruling unit if they are absent of these necessities?"

The council members looked at me with consideration.

"Nonsense, they have evil souls and take pleasure in others' pain," Jernigan denounced my monologue.

"Well then perhaps next time a bandit is caught, bring them to me so that I may ask why they were stealing," I demanded and stood, "Excuse me I am needed elsewhere at the moment."

I had lied sort of…I wasn't exactly _needed_ but I rushed to the kitchen before any council member could delay me with questions.

"Hello love!" Mandy cheerily greeted when I entered her domain.

"Hello Mandy, " I replied and slumped down onto a stool near the sink.

"What are you so glum-faced about?"

"Oh, Jernigan and Gerard are having me sit in on their dull council meetings. I really wish I could have gone to Clyone with Darius and Elle," I sighed.

"Now love, don't be too heartbroken. Clyone is a dangerous realm. There has not been a decent ruler there since your great great great grandfather was a prince of Kyrria.

"What happened do you think?"

"No one knows, only that when anybody decided to try and figure it out, by that time Clyone looked deserted of it's peoples and there were many rebel sprites bounding around causing mischief." Mandy told what she knew.

"I hope no harm comes to them,"

"As do I,"

She then began preparing a luncheon for the visiting Duke of Blaine. Blaine was visiting the castle in the afternoon. I had met him once before when he attended the castle's Hallows eve masked ball the year before. He was very young to hold the title of Duke, the only reason that came about was that his father had died unexpectedly leaving his twenty-year-old son to inherit the title.

Blaine was lucky; Mandy started to slice cold turkey and prepare chilled quail eggs for his luncheon.

I bid farewell to my fairy godmother and took a quick sneak into the library. This time, I pulled out a piece of fiction that was written by the palace scribe around the time Darius was born. "Cinderella" was its title. The poor girl in the book also had a fairy godmother. I started to indulge myself but unfortunately Jernigan interrupted, requiring my presence at Blaine's luncheon.

Blaine was a man with a strong build, flaxen hair, and a very conceited air to him. He bowed low at my entrance, mumbling 'your highness', and then returned to his delicious meal.

"Blaine, how wonderful that you are visiting," I automatically fell into my princely politeness.

"Oh, but thank you for having me," he replied graciously but I could tell it wasn't sincere.

I helped myself to the cold cut sandwiches that were cut into several dainty triangles. I snatched about seven of them because they weren't that filling in small size. I took a seat across from Blaine and his higher attendants. Mostly knights.

"Prince Kellin, I must inquire, will your lovely sister be joining us this afternoon?" Blaine asked.

"She is out of town, unfortunately," I replied with no apologetic tone. I suddenly remembered that Blaine was the fox at the masked ball. The fox circled around my sister the whole night, and that would have been fine but Elle, who was ironically dressed as a nightingale, was always trying to evade him. Elle is not coy, she will not play with men's minds as many ladies of the courts do; she was actually trying to flee from the fox's attentions that night. Anyone my sister had a distaste for, I couldn't help but to as well.

"Where has she gone?"

There was sincerity to that inquiry, and I was not about to have the Duke of Blaine stalking my sister around Clyone.

"I do believe Darius took her north yesterday afternoon," I replied, not giving much information. He studied me with suspicious eyes. I did not have to answer to him; I was a prince, and he a duke.

"Well 'tis a shame then that she should have missed me. She rather enjoys my presence," he boasted. I frowned, but at the same time I wanted to laugh in his face and bring up my observations of her desperate attempts to be rid of him at the masked ball last year.

I shrugged nonchalantly, helping myself to a quail egg.

Blaine had left shortly after that. I was glad to be rid of him but before he did leave he invited me to join him at his estate the following week. I would have declined outright but since Jernigan was standing right behind me, I was forced to agree.

"The Duke of Blaine is wealthy and has great prestige from his family name," Jernigan told me as we watched Blaine's carriage roll out of the castle's gates.

"He seems to have the fantasy that my sister adores him," I mentioned.

"Most young lads have that fantasy!" Gerard laughed.

"Oh they would make a great pair!" Jernigan boasted and I could have told him to bite his tongue, "I'm sure your father would consent to their joining."

His comment struck worry into my heart. Elle would be miserable with that lug of vanity for a husband. I would explain to father when he returned, that Elle would not fancy Blaine. Of course father would not consent if he knew Elle would be unhappy, and mother would not be pleased if he did.

Jernigan led me back into the castle, this time I couldn't escape to the kitchens or library because he had me have an audience with the countess Fauna and her daughters.

I wonder if Darius felt the dread and awkwardness I did when Countess Fauna and her daughters demanded an audience with him. First of all I had no idea what to say to them, since Darius usually was the one to see them, and I had not even a clue to why they were there. Farrah, the eldest daughter at eighteen, only a year older than I, was quite a pretty thing but the way she watched me was unnerving. Flora, the younger daughter at fourteen was, unfortunately in the stages of becoming a woman and even the most applied rouge could not hide her pimples.

"My ladies?" I asked with a bow after looking around the room.

"Prince Kellin," they all curtsied with respect, not catching my inquiring tone basically asking why they were there.

"It is a shame that your charming brother is not here today, he is the one we usually exchange words with," The countess began. I felt myself bristle; Darius was not better than me!

"Are you implying, madam that I am no less charming?" I frowned.

Her smile dropped, realizing she had subtly insulted me. She laughed it off lightly, "No your highness, of course not. It's just we have nary talked compared to Prince Darius and I."

I nodded, deciding I didn't care for Fauna and her daughters.

"Anyway, the reason I requested an audience with you is that my husband, rest his soul, is now dead. With his death he left all his lands and assets to me, which is very good. However, he did not leave enough money to pay the workers of lands. I come here to ask you if the Royal Crown would be interested in buying any amount of acreage of my husband's lands? I cannot do anything with them if I cannot hire workers for them," she explained.

"How much would you be asking for an acre?" I asked sensibly.

"I was thinking around 50 Gold KJ's per acre?" she smiled hopefully.

"How many acres are you trying to sell?"

"200,"

"Have you tried asking your fellow neighbors if they were interested in purchasing?"

"Well…I wasn't sure if they could afford it," she admitted.

"I will suggest that you present the offer to your surrounding land-holding neighbors, and if they all refuse, then you can come back and we'll strike a deal,"

She smiled but it was a false one, "Thank you your highness, I will,"

"Prince Kellin, it is not long until the next Hallows Eve masked ball, will his highness Darius return in time for it?" Farrah inquired.

Why did they always want Darius?! I swear no noble girl had the fancy for me since they were all after _him_.

"I'm not sure. It is not likely," I said and was a little amused at her disappointment.

"Then will _you_ save a dance for me?" Farrah asked.

"Lass, what if I saved a dance for every maiden in the court? I should be dancing for three days straight," I replied, telling her I wouldn't save her a dance, she'd have to come get one from me.

She nodded and walked out of the hearing room with her pimply sister and crafty mother. I sighed and followed them out, but before I could hide myself away, Gerard was the one to halt me

"My liege," he nodded since he couldn't bow for he had a bad back.

"Yes Gerard?"

"I want to discuss the matter of the upcoming Hallows Eve ball that our court holds every year,"

"Go on?"

"Since none of your family will be present at the time of the ball, I was wondering if it would be best to cancel it?"

Why, just because my family wasn't there? _I _was there! Did I count for nothing? I felt insulted that I didn't even count as a part of my own family.

"No, we are holding the ball like we do any other year. I will not disappoint the people who look forward to this event, and besides Gerard, _I _am here, for your consideration. Not everyone in the monarch is absent." I spoke while I frowned.

He blushed slightly realizing his mistake, "Very well sire, but you have to plan it since no one else is here," he nodded deeply again and was off. The masked ball wouldn't be for about two and a half weeks. Last year I dressed as a mule, to be humorous. Darius was a noble stallion the year before, how like him. I had no idea what my costume would be this time around. Instead of starting to plan the ball, I ran away to the library.


	14. XII

My agenda as keeper of the castle was very dull and repetitive. The only times I felt content and free were when I was chatting with Mandy in the kitchens or when I stowed myself away in the library. Those moments never lasted long because I was predictable and the councilors knew where to find me if I went missing. I would sit in on council meetings, which discussed problems that had no relevance to any of my problems. I had to hold luncheons for the many nobility visiting the castle. I also had to have audiences with courtiers who were either begging for help, or trying to sell me something. By the end of the first week, I was truly glad that I was not crowned prince; I was content to be the young prince Kellin and stay in the library for the rest of my life rather than deal with politics.

The only change in my agenda took place the next week when I was supposed to visit Blaine at his estate, which was something I would have rather not done but the consistent lectures from Jernigan were enough to convince me to go. The sky had a grey cast all day; no sunrays could break through the mass of hovering cloud. It had been two weeks since my siblings' departure, meaning it would be another two weeks plus however long they stayed in Clyone, which would be a week at most before they were projected to return. I decided to have a noon meal before I departed to further delay the visit.

Mandy had whipped up a small meal of turkey legs and fruitcake for desert. No appetizers or salad was served because Jernigan urged her to be quick about it. Mandy could prepare delicious food quickly, but it never made anyone suspicious of her fey blood. I had just put on my cloak to leave when the sky opened up and poured rain. Vicious lightning blinded the sky in sharp short strikes and the deep grumble of thunder rolled through the heavens above. There was surely no way I was to travel in that sort of weather. The horses would have been frightened to death and I couldn't be expected to make it on foot.

I told this to Jernigan who insisted I go nonetheless. I refused. Blaine would understand why I couldn't meet with him. I removed my cloak and requested that Jernigan play me in a game of chess since I had no other plans for the afternoon. Jernigan sighed but agreed.

We settled in the study, it was quiet and the only sounds were those of raindrops on the windows. I had played Jernigan at chess before and all the times I did, I had won so he wasn't too keen on having me beat him again.

We played and were playing until dinner, but had to pause the game to eat. He was doing a good job of keeping me away from his king but I knew I would be victorious. It was a small dinner party that night. Gerard, Jernigan, myself and a few other councilors to my father were present for Mandy's Roasted boar, sweet potato pie, fried mushrooms, and honey cakes. I ate heartily; I always find myself to do this when I eat Mandy's food. I can't help it; the food is just so delectable that I will keep on eating after I am full. I am not the only one though because many other men were rubbing their bellies and groaning in happiness.

Jernigan and I reassembled ourselves back in the study to finish our chess game. It would be a close match, but finally I saw a flaw in his plan that left the bishop open. Once the bishop was taken, I could maneuver my rook and queen to capture his queen. He must have seen the way my face lit up, because he removed his hand from his Knight. It didn't matter where he moved, unless he suddenly guarded his bishop.

He didn't. He instead moved his other bishop to capture my last pawn. He could have it! I was going to win.

It was fairly late and the study was quiet again except the rain and distant thundering. I was about to finish Jernigan off when the peace of the study was interrupted by a nervous, unsure looking guard.

He kneeled before us.

"Sir, what do you require?" I asked rather annoyed since I was about to finish the game. He stood.

"Sire, there is a girl at the gate," he stated.

_In this weather?_ I thought to myself. My intrigue was piqued and my desire to finish chess gone.

Since neither Jernigan nor I said anything the guard continued, "Since you are the one in charge of the keep, she can only enter by your permission after the gates have closed,"

Ah, so it was my decision that she stands out in the rain or not?

"Take me to her," I demanded. I followed the guard all the while Jernigan was behind me warning me about spies and thieves and that she could be one. I decided to let her in just to spite him and his unnecessary worry.

I gave a nod and the men who were in charge of opening the portcullis grabbed and lugged the pulleys. A figure stumbled through the archway, the lady I would assume, and I was right. She was walking as if though she was hurt or faint and I wondered why none of the guards would offer her help. Instead they parted and as she came into view and I could see why, she was obviously not from Kyrria, nor Ayortha for that matter. She was soaking wet, and her manner of clothing was strange. There was a top, and a skirt. The material was translucent as it was stuck against her figure; her stomach was exposed to our eyes because the top was too short to cover it. If it was intentional, I know not. No one moved to help her, she was holding her arms around her trying for what little warmth she could get.

Since my guards were acting quite rudely I approached her, "Miss?"

Her dark hair hung in her eyes as she looked at the ground, when I spoke she slowly looked up. All at once I saw a myriad of emotion catch in her eyes, relief, annoyance, fear, suspicion, and exhaustion.

"Janortu" she spoke with a hoarse voice; her words were a garbled form of Ayorthan.

Then, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed. I caught her before she hit the muddy ground. That's when the guards took action and crowded around me. I stopped them from removing her however. I argued that I would take her, and no one else. I did this because her words were directed toward me and they had meant, "Help me."


	15. XIII

I called for maids to remove her strange, wet clothes, and put her in something warm and to tell me when this was done. I waited in the study while it happened, trying to place her accent. She spoke in Ayorthan vernacular but it was with an accent I had never heard before.

"It was unwise to allow her to enter," Jernigan pressed his lips thin and frowned.

"She needed help," I argued.

"So why would she come to the castle and not bother a farm house or a manor in town?"

"Maybe she brings us a message, maybe she can't trust anyone else, we won't know until we ask her," I rebuked.

A maid appeared in the study and curtsied swiftly, "Milord, the lady was unconscious when we left to find her some clothes, but when we came back to dress her she…" the maid swallowed nervously, fearfully, "she was gone."

Jernigan's hot glare was on me in an instant, a silent 'I told you so' screaming at me in his facial features.

"What do you mean she's gone? She left the room? Does she have any clothes on?"

The maid wore a puzzled face, "I don't know, your highness."

So there was now a strange, naked, girl running around the castle?? I should have been alarmed but instead I smiled at the humor of it. Jernigan found no humor.

"Your highness, she could be stealing or spying!" he proclaimed.

"I doubt that," I sniffed, "Send out the guard. Find her."

A small number of castle guards fanned out to search for her. It wouldn't be hard to find a naked lass.

Instead of joining the search I decided to go tell Mandy what had happened. The kitchen should have been empty except for Mandy, since all the dishes had been cleaned but as I descended the steps I heard another voice.

"Mandy?" I called and knocked on the hollow wooden wall to let her know I was coming. Sometimes, I would scare her by entering abruptly at later times of the night so I'm sure to knock now.

Both voices stopped and I saw Mandy was not alone. The missing girl was there as well. She wasn't naked, as we had speculated. She must have found a robe in the room I left her in because she was sitting on a wooden stool by the counter. She had a finger in her mouth, and she looked at me wide-eyed.

I coughed and bowed quickly, out of courtesy, and embarrassment of seeing her so scantly dressed.

"Kellin!" Mandy called, "you should know better how to treat a guest!"

"Excuse me?" I coughed, not ready for a lecture, and for something that wasn't my fault.

"This poor girl is soaked to the bone, half naked, and half starved! It's a good thing she found her way to the kitchen before she succumbed to malnourishment!" Mandy pointed at me.

"We were going to get her into dry clothes but she disappeared before the maids could dress her," I mentioned.

The girl, whoever she was, watched us playfully argue while eating cherry filled croissants, leftover from that morning's breakfast. Every so often she would spill the filling onto her fingers and lick it off. I took a seat on the other side of the counter, and patiently waited for her to be done so I could bring her back to the study and have her questioned.

"Hesimi ubensa, Mandy, tihesa poietela," the girl spoke and handed Mandy the plate the croissants had been on. Mandy understood Ayorthan as well as I.

"Ubensas ecomle," Mandy smiled.

I spoke in Ayorthan to the girl, "Please come with me, you have an audience with my council, we want to know who you are."

"Dressed in this?!" she inquired in amazement.  
I smiled ruefully, "You have no time to change now since you ran off to the kitchens. Your robe will do."

She followed me back to the study where Gerard and Jernigan were waiting, almost bored like, but snapped to attention when the robed female entered. She nodded to them both. I could still see she was damp from the rain, slowly but surly drying off.

"You gentlemen do speak Ayorthan?" I asked.

Jernigan did, but Gerard was so-so at the language.

"Please have a seat," I motioned to a comfortable chair for her.

The rest of the conversation was held in Ayorthan, even though she was certainly not from Ayortha. She didn't know a word of Kyrrian.

"Are you better?" I inquired.

"Much better, although very much exhausted." She answered.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Jernigan demanded at once. I glared at him.

She raised her eyebrows, almost surprised he was demanding of _her._ I must admit there was an air of confidence and defiance about her.

"Sir, I am SåskÏa," She looked at us as though she expected us to know of her, she sighed when she realized we were clueless, "the last princess of Jarvana."She had answered one question, well two in my mind because I wanted to know where she was from with such a different accent. We all gaped though, not believing her. She did have a disheveled appearance, and why would she be fleeing to Kyrria if she were a princess?

"How can you expect us to believe such an outrageous lie?" Jernigan demanded when he got over his initial shock. She glared at him for accusing her of lying, " I _am_ the princess of Jarvana."

Another reason it was hard to believe she was royalty was that her skin was tanned, the opposite of any supposed royal that were expected to be as pale as the moon for not working outside all their years.

"You have worker skin," Jernigan brought up what I was thinking.

She continued glaring at him, "Have you ever been to Jarvana councilor?" she demanded to know,"if you have, then you know that our people are _born_ darker than you of the north."

Jernigan didn't answer that question but asked another instead, "IS there anyway you can prove your lineage?"

She bit her lip and thought. After a moment of tense silence she had an answer.

"Since Jarvanian royalty is descended from the djinn, there are certain supernatural abilities that we possess. As a lady of Jarvanian royalty, no man can touch me without my consent or else he will pay very dearly."

"What is a djinn?" I asked, also worrying about touching… catching her when she collapsed earlier. Would I die?

"A djinn is what you northerners call a genie." She explained and saw my worry. "I am careful to give consent to those who touch me out of carelessness or necessity. In your case, it was necessary you catch me. I might have sprained something if you had let me fall, Thank you."

"You expect us to take that as proof?" Jernigan snapped, unbelievably. I wanted to hush him instantly.

SåskÏa smiled, "Go on, touch me and find out," she inched back the piece of robe covering her thigh. I shouldn't have been so eager to look, nor so wanting Jernigan to test it out.

Jernigan twisted his face up in offence, "Foul temptress!"

She let go of the cloth and sat back like she didn't care. She was brushing him off, as if to say '_you tire me, go elsewhere_.'

"You did provoke her," I reminded him.

Gerard stayed silent and watched the scene unfold. He wasn't that bad at speaking Ayorthan, but yet he did not talk. He had an unreadable expression. Probably trying to decide whether to believe her claim or not.

I found myself staying quiet as well, thinking about what SåskÏa said. If she was telling the truth, then she was descended from a genie! I had read a piece on historic magical creatures from the library when I was younger about a genie. A being with magical properties, unlimited cosmic power, but they had been slaves.

I stole a glance at her; she had to be the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. With or without the genie comment she looked nothing like the people of the North. Her skin was darker than usual but really not like a worker, she was clean. Well, she had been in the rain and it must have cleaned her off a good deal. She had raven colored hair, which was becoming more voluminous as it dried. I also noticed a silver jewel above her eye, I didn't understand what it was for or how it was attached, but I did not ask her about it because I didn't want to offend her.

"SåskÏa," Jernigan snapped to get her attention since she had brushed him off.

She would have ignored him but she became irritated instead, "Councilor, I would think you would be bred in manners and proper etiquette when addressing a princess. Please do not refer to me by my first name unless given permission, it is quite informal."

The look on Jernigan's face was priceless. He had been told off by this girl, who he presumed to be a 'foul temptress' of a liar, perhaps even a spy. He was not happy at all.

"You will _not_ be given special treatment since you cannot provide adequate proof of your royal blood. I shall address you by your name that you have given or lesser ones providing I'm in a foul in temper. We shall give you a room for the night since it is quite late and in the morning you will tell us why you are here." He lectured angrily and began to exit the study, probably to go to his chambers and vent.

"If you will deny me my rightful title then I shall not give the same respect. Kellin, please show me to my room,"

I was slightly startled; it was the first time anyone I wasn't related to or friends with addressed me without a title.

Jernigan was angry at her stand, "He is the prince! You cannot call him by his name so informally!"

She focused her eyes onto me; at that moment I knew she was a princess. There was no way a commoner of any country could waltz into another country's castle and show such stubbornness and disregard for etiquette with authority without being royalty.

"It's alright Jernigan. She can call me Kellin," I gave permission.

He snorted disapprovingly like always and marched out.

"Is he always such a pompous ass?" she inquired.

"Yes," I stated solemnly, but couldn't hold it. We both busted out laughing. I quieted suddenly, remembering Gerard was still in the room with us.

"That was very interesting," Gerard spoke in Kyrrian and smiled his wise, amused, and secretive smile all at once. With that comment he bowed to us, more to me since no one believed SåskÏa, and then retired to his rooms as well.

I was alone with her. We sort of stared at each other before I asked, "So you must be exhausted no?"

"I feel death trying to claim me," she sighed and rubbed her eye.

"Then we shall find you a room so death shall not have his way tonight," I motioned toward the exit. She reluctantly stood and went out before me. She looked like she was about to fall asleep in the chair.

What room would she be staying in? I asked one of the maids Jernigan had talked to earlier about a room for SåskÏa. The maid led us to a small room, a dingy room that looked almost too poor for a cook.

I was suddenly furious at Jernigan.

"_This_ is the room he told you to put her in?!" I demanded. The maid became frightened, she was just following orders and now her prince was yelling at her.

"Ye…y... yes milord," she cowered. I softened, it wasn't her fault Jernigan was a pompous ass.

"It's fine…" SåskÏa yawned tiredly and entered.

"No, it's not." I grabbed her hand, then let go suddenly remembering that men couldn't touch her without her permission. She looked at me amused.

"Am I going to die?" I asked fearfully.

She chuckled, "No,"

"Then what happens to those who touch you without your permission?"

She considered my question, as if how much information she should release. "The offender becomes severely ill."

I felt pale all of a sudden. Was her djinn blood magic infecting me?

She chuckled even more and patted my shoulder, "You had my permission, I do it automatically unless I'm being attacked, and then there will be very ill men."

"You can't sleep here, it isn't fit," I turned up my nose at the cot on the wooden beams, and the single window too small to crawl through.

"I'm very tired, and where else could I sleep that won't offend your pompous Councilor?" Her eyes kept dropping closed and peeping back open tiredly.

I thought. I knew I didn't care what Jernigan thought; I had more authority over him anyway. Then I had a place.

"You could sleep in my sister's room! She is away for a month and she has goose feather pillows, a heavy duck feather down coverlet, also a big fireplace," I suggested.

SåskÏa laughed lightly, "Are you trying to make me more tired? Oh, goose feather pillows sound like a dream…" she began to mumble and then simply fell onto me. I kept her from falling. I told the maid to run ahead, start a fire and turn down my sister's covers. I once again carried SåskÏa, this time into my sister's bedroom. I laid her in the bed and covered her. When I first saw her, she looked like she had traveled a beaten road, and I wanted to know why. I had so many questions about and to ask this strange, exotic girl.


	16. XIV

I was sleeping and I could feel the sun on my face, seeping in through the windows. If it were summer or spring I would have had my windows open to let in a breeze but they were closed because of the approaching winter.

Something was suddenly blocking the sun's rays on my eyelids, my eyes snapped open and I gave a startled yelp.

"Shh!" she giggled.

It was SåskÏa, and she looked different. Her hair was plaited back with many tendrils falling in front of her face. She was also wearing one of my sister's lounge dresses. It was a golden color and matched with her skin tone.

I didn't know what to say to her. Why was she in my room so early? Not even a maid Jernigan had sent had come to awaken me yet.

"What are you doing?"

"Waking you up," she responded. I grunted and fell back into my pillows sleepily. I should have felt more ill at ease from having a strange girl in my room when I wasn't even dressed properly. All I had on was my sleeping garment! "Well do you want breakfast or not?"

"What did Mandy make?" I asked, not that it mattered, it would be delicious nonetheless and I would eat it.

"Scones and over-easy eggs, there's also fresh apple juice," she said, and the way she told me the breakfast menu made it sound even more appetizing.

"I guess I'll take it," I yawned and then gave her a hard look so she would leave. She either did not get the hint or did and only remained in my room to annoy me.

"May I get dressed?"

"Of course, you don't need _my_ permission" she smiled mischievously and still did not leave!

I coughed a little embarrassed, "By myself?"

"Oh fine," she laughed lightheartedly and exited.

What a strange girl. I donned my more formal robes since there was another council meeting that I was expected to attend after breakfast. She was gone when I emerged from my room. I snorted, she could have at least waited for me if she was going to wake me so early.

The castle was getting colder, I noticed as I made my way to the dining table. Since it was so early, Saskia was the only one at the table, happily munching on a scone.

"You do know how early it is?"

"Don't you mean, how late?"

I raised one of my brows in question. I only assumed it was early because no one else was around, and she had woken me up before Jernigan forced me from my sleep.

"It's nearly 10:00," she continued after sipping some apple juice. I took a seat across from her in disbelief. How was this possible?

"Eggs?" she asked lifting the platter at me. I nodded and took them.

"So why didn't anyone come to wake me?"

"It's kind of a long story. I was snoozing comfortably in your sister's room, when your pompous councilor charged in throwing all sorts of colorful and improper names at me for 'dirtying the princess's chamber'. I told him that I had _your_ permission, but nonetheless he forced me out of your sister's room. So I had to be marched to breakfast in that robe, in front of the rest of the council members. They were going to go wake you and then demand answers from me, but I then told them I would give them nothing if they dared wake you before you were ready. Pompous ass accused me of procrastinating." She smiled and took another bite of scone. "I was."

I couldn't help but t laugh at her story. At least I got to sleep in. "So where are they now?"

"Waiting in the meeting room I suppose," she shrugged.

"For whom?"

"Both of us,"

"If you don't mind me asking, why _are_ you in Kyrria?"

She stopped chewing and sighed, "You'll find out soon enough."

I ate Mandy's breakfast but found I had little appetite. SåskÏa remained oddly quiet the rest of the time. She had a nervous and forlorn look about her. I had stopped eating but remained in the dining room with her.

"Are you ready?" I inquired.

Her eyes, which were previously staring at the floor, darted to me and she nodded slowly. I led her down the corridors until we came to the meeting room. I opened the heavy wooden doors only to be applauded by the council.

"Up and about are we?" Jernigan asked in mockery.

I didn't honor him with an answer; I simply nodded and led SåskÏa into the room. We stood in the middle together, facing the withering faces of politicians and council members. I hoped Darius would consider appointing new councilmen when he became king.

"Now, girl. You so unexpectedly barged into Kyrria's castle claiming to be a Jarvanian princess, you have explaining to do." Jernigan pointed at her, speaking in Ayorthan. I translated the conversation for the non-Ayorthan speaking members.

"What must I explain?" her lips quirked up in a challenging smirk.

"Why is a princess of Jarvana not currently in her country? What brings her to the countries of the north? Why does she arrive looking like a ragamuffin? That is, if you really _are_ royalty. If you are a lying knave, you will be thrown into prison for your false claims and marauding," Jernigan looked rather happy at the mention of her going to prison.

SåskÏa wasn't unnerved by his threat. She knew who she was.

"It amazes me how little Kyrria knows of foreign affairs," she sniffed and turned in a circle to look each and every man in the eye to let him know she was serious.

When no one protested her insult she continued, "Jarvana is now a puppet monarchy. Many years ago, a disgruntled count from Ayortha named Arsun, was banished from his home and thought he could control Jarvana. He convinced the peasants they would be better off under his rule. They attacked our palace…" SåskÏa stopped and swallowed, memories flooding into her horrified face. She looked down and went on. "The Arsunites murdered my father, the king. They placed the women of court into different harems where we were prisoners. However I managed to escape three months ago and I am here to seek sanctuary, because they will surly come for me."

Silence. No one knew anything of what she spoke.

"So why did you not seek out the Ayorthan castle?" a councilman asked.

"Ayorthans have been having scrimmages with the Arsun-led Jarvanians for years, so they think any Jarvanian is their enemy, I had to find the nearest civilized country not prejudiced," she answered.

"How does Kyrria not know of such matters?" another member asked in Kyrrian, so I translated for her.

SåskÏa sighed hopelessly, "Because Ayortha does not wish to trouble you with such a small matter to them. However, it is the biggest matter in my life, so I have come to inform you of it."

Finally the imperative question for the council to know, "How do we know you are telling the truth?"

She positively glared at them for being doubted, "Why would I lie?"

"There are many reasons to lie, who knows? Power, money, or secret information? You have no adequate proof that you are who you say you are, so why should the council believe you? Jernigan announced. I frowned at him. I believed her, was that legitimate enough?

Her eyes dropped sadly, knowing the road ahead wasn't easy. "How should I prove myself?"

Jernigan grinned at her surrender, "I don't know my dear, but we'll come up with something. You are dismissed."

SåskÏa quickly exited the room; I followed her instead of staying like I was supposed to.

"SåskÏa?" I was about to touch her shoulder but drew my hand away, her strange ability to cause whoever touched her illness in mind.

"What a pompous ass!" she threw her hands in the air angrily. We were in a narrow corridor and the sound carried, probably back into the meeting room. I didn't want her to be under any more criticism than she already was so I coaxed her to follow me out into the gardens. The ground was still wet and had many puddles from the storm the night before; it was also a little bit chilly outside.

She wrapped her arms around herself and breathed in the air in a frustrated manner.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I just wish they would believe me, " she muttered quietly.

"I believe you," I offered to make her feel better.

"How come you do but they don't?"

I didn't know how to answer her. She broke many social rules, with a lot of confidence. The kind of confidence I saw in my siblings. It was just logical to me that she was a princess.

"You remind me of my sister in a way," I said instead.

"You have a sister? Why haven't I met her yet?" SåskÏa asked eagerly.

I explained to her that she was my twin, on an expedition with my older brother. I couldn't help but to use a bitter tone when saying it though.

"Do you want to learn to speak Kyrrian?" I suddenly asked.

"Only if you teach me insults and curses first so I may use them after I encounter the pompous ass," she said and I was surprised. It was a good motivation to learn the language though.

I taught her 'knave', 'cur', 'pompous ass', and 'damned' first, she was very amused.

"How do you know Ayorthan if you were born in Kyrria?" She asked after delightfully learning Kyrria's worst words.

"My mother is a fan of languages. She found it mandatory that her children at least speak Ayorthan plus an exotic tongue," I answered.

"What exotic tongue can you speak?" SåskÏa asked in amazement.

"I can speak Abdegi, that is the giant language," I explained.

"Do you ever use it?" she wondered.

"Whenever the giants come into Frell to for harvest season, it comes in handy. Giants can speak Kyrrian though, so I hardly ever need to speak it. I just learned it to please mother."

"So what exotic tongues can your siblings speak?" she inquired further.

"Elle speaks Orgese, and Darius is proficient in Gnomic,"

"That must be exciting," She mused; I suddenly wondered how she knew Ayorthan.

"Have you spoken Ayorthan your whole life?" I asked after I couldn't think of any further curses to teach her.

She shook her head, "No, after Arsun invaded I had to pick the language up or else be confused the rest of my days on what everyone was saying around me. I originally spoke Jarvanian."

I was pretty sure that was one language my mother, also titled _court linguist_ did not know. Mother would have been fascinated with SåskÏa if she were here.

"So how old were you when Arsun took over?" I asked, hoping it wouldn't offend her but I was curious. This information was not in any book I had read. There was much I could learn from this girl.

"I was five," she had lost her grin, replaced by sadness.

"How old are you now?"

"Seventeen,"

She was my age, I did the math in my head, "So he has been ruling Jarvana for twelve years and no one has tried to stop him?" I asked flustered.

She shook her head, "The peasants follow him, and the ones that don't are imprisoned or killed. Ayorthans don't care as long as he doesn't try to re-enter Ayortha. He has been recently commanding small attacks on the south border but the Ayorthan army holds them back."

"And you were imprisoned too, in a…what?" I tried to get her story straight.

"A harem," she blushed and looked away, expecting me to know what it was. I'd never heard of it before. When she saw my blank face her blush deepened.

"You don't know what a harem is?"

"Not at all, do enlighten me?"

She bit her lip, with a reluctant expression. I raised my eyebrows to urge her to explain.

She took a deep breath in, "A harem is a group of women that live together and are supposed to satisfy one man."

I wasn't sure I understood. Like a houseful of maids that cleaned and fed a man? She put an unusual emphasis on the word 'satisfy.' She saw my non-changing blank look and sighed, "You know _satisfy_ as in make…make love to one man."

"Oh!" I was a bit surprised at her explanation. "Wait so one man is married to many women?" I asked; was SåskÏa already wed?

She shook her head back and forth once more, "No, he is not married to any one woman in the harem."

I processed what she had told me and found myself becoming angry. A man had invaded her country and placed her into…into one of those _institutions_ where he had stolen her innocence? It was appalling!

"Who's harem where you in?" I demanded.

"Arsun's, because that was the one my mother was in…" she said quietly.

"And did he ever…?" I frowned furiously but couldn't bring myself to ask all the way.

To my surprise she flashed a sly grin, "Remember sir, no one can touch me without my permission."

I found myself sigh with relief, I guess her ability did have it's advantages.

"Does your mother know you are here?" It was a dumb question in my opinion but asked it nonetheless. How could her mother know she had traveled to Kyrria of all places?

A solemn expression now dawned SåskÏa's face. "No. The night I broke out, Arsun executed my mother, the queen. He is a horrible, despicable man that doesn't deserve a fraction of mercy!" Tears were brimming her eyes. "I didn't want to leave but mother told me I had to try. I saw them beat her, asking her how I had gotten away, and where would I have gone and when she refused to answer Arsun was called in. He withdrew his blade and slashed her throat…the blood was so red, so pure, and then she ceased to live. I ran for my life. There is nothing for me in Jarvana anymore, _nothing_."

I didn't know how to console her; I couldn't even start to begin to imagine the horrors that she had been put through. She stood bitterly, now in the midday sunlight, the sun reflected off of her dark hair, and her swarthy skin seemed to soak in its warmth. I wanted to console her. What did I usually do to cheer myself up? The library was always a comfort but I thought hard on what made me feel extremely overjoyed. I had it.

"Have you ever ridden down a stairway banister?"


	17. XV

I hadn't slid down the stair banisters in a long time. It is always fun to slide down on them but it is even more fun when someone is participating in the activity also. SåskÏa had never done it before because she said her palace was ground level only but vast, so there weren't any big staircases. Of course I had to show her how fun it was.

We found ourselves in front of the castle's grand staircase.

"It seems awfully high, are you sure it is safe?" she asked skeptically, craning her head back to glance up into the many stories above her.

"Of course, my whole family does it. I'll show you," I ran up to the top of the second story and mounted the banister. I kicked off and slid backwards, curving until I reached the bottom.

"The higher you start, the longer and faster you will ride," I laughed, giddy with pleasure from the short ride.

We climbed to the landing on the second story once more. SåskÏa awkwardly straddled the banister due to her dress.

"Let go," I urged. Her bottom scooted ever so slightly down the banister and she gave a yelp of surprise. I chuckled at her unnecessary fear. I grabbed her hand, hoping she wouldn't make me ill, and led her down the banister at a slow speed while walking the stairs next to her. Sometimes she would start sliding faster and latch onto my arm to stop advancing.

We were safely at the bottom again.

"I could fall off," I she objected when I asked her if she wanted to do it again. I wanted to deny it but it was true, she was a beginner and I had mastered the art of stair banister riding like the rest of my family. I had taught her backwards riding, because it was less frightening and less dangerous. My father and mother were excellent at riding down front-forward; it had taken me a long time to work up the nerve to try it. If a ride down, front-forward went awry then it was likely for the rider to pummel into the floor with their face. I climbed to the third story landing and slid down front-forward to show her the difference. I was sliding fast, the air made _whooshing_ noises as I flew down the banister. I hopped off and bowed to SåskÏa with a laugh.

"Looks fun but I don't think I can handle the banister just yet," she giggled at my bow.

"Your highness?" Gerard approached us with a nod.

"Yes Gerard?"

"Dinner is served, will you and the lass be joining us this time?" he inquired.

I suddenly realized why I was so hungry. I had spent all afternoon teaching SåskÏa how to insult and curse in Kyrrian and show her the fun of riding the stair banister. We had forgotten to eat.

"Yes, we shall be dining with you," all of us traveled to the dining room. Jernigan and some other important members of the council but not important enough to remember their names were just sitting down to dine, but stood when I entered. It was now officially time to eat.

"We missed you at the noon meal," Jernigan sneered disapprovingly.

"I was busy," I glared hard at him and spoke in Ayorthan, so SåskÏa knew what we were saying.

"Pray tell what you were busy with?" He cut into his salmon, reverting to Ayorthan also.

"It is not any of your business," SåskÏa cut in.

Jernigan snapped his hard eyes onto her with aggravation, "I was asking his highness, not you. Refrain from speaking if you will."

"Cur," SåskÏa whispered under her breath in Kyrrian.

"What did you say?" he demanded outraged.

"Sure," she covered up nicely in Ayorthan. I was proud.

He looked at her suspiciously and then continued eating.

"So how are plans for the Hollow's Eve ball coming along? Gerard asked to lessen the tension, but in Kyrrian. My eyes widened in terror; I hadn't done anything or any planning for the ball.

"Sashoraidi ja fyesa?" SåskÏa asked. (_What did he say?_)

"Ja ementufy abensa hora demendajori lavorite gero ulageerino marquesi festoro," I replied. (_He asked if I had anything planned for the upcoming masked ball._)

"The prince has put me in charge of planning it," she suddenly spoke with a bright smile.

I hadn't actually, but I was not going to stop her if she wanted to do it. Plus she looked so happy all of a sudden in contrast to her mood all of earlier that day.

Jernigan positively glared at me and Gerard looked worried at her announcement.

She winked at me when I glanced questioningly at her. It told me she had everything under control.

I knew the royal councilors wanted to explain to me why I shouldn't let SåskÏa plan the masked ball but I never gave them the chance. As soon as dinner was eaten I motioned toward the door to SåskÏa who picked up my hint and we fled. Almost subtly.

We walked briskly down the corridors, continuously looking around to avoid any courtiers or guards. I looked quite suspicious in my own home. Finally we had made it to my sanctuary and I pulled her into the library.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"The library," I said in a quieter voice and led her to a loveseat to sit and slow our accelerated hearts. "So, what do you know about planning balls?"

Her smile widened, "Absolutely nothing."

I stared at her. Why was she smiling? It was not funny!

"You're kidding," I said. She shook her head in earnest; she was serious. "But you are a princess!"

"Correction, I was a prisoner," she spoke stonily. "Besides how hard can it be? It's just a big get together in costumes."

"Yes a get together with about 300 of my family's closest subjects, many who are expecting a divine celebration. They look forward to enough delicious food that can serve them all and then to go back for more, they'll want lovely decorations reflecting on the theme of the ball, they will require the finest music to dance to, and expect Darius to be there," I said, adding the last bit by accident and habit.

"Who?"

"My brother. Never mind. He won't be there anyway,"

"Seems like you are too much worried what your guests think," she propped her head with her hand on the arm of the loveseat and looked me over.

"If the monarch displeases their party guests, it gives them right to gossip negatively. I hadn't much worried about it until my family ran away from home." I mused.

"What? They ran away from home?" she raised the eyebrow with the silver jewel on it.

"I'm kidding; they are all just out traveling at the same time, leaving me in charge of keep. Kind of unfair when there is a big upcoming social event," I sighed.

"So what is the problem? I'll have Mandy to cook, I can look for decorations in the city market, and if you point me in the right direction with right amount of finances I can hire the best musicians. Why do you have to plan this anyway, don't you have royal party planners?" she asked.

Good question. I'd never thought about it before. The monarch held very little large cotillions. Sometimes there would be small parties. Mother usually had assistants help her or leave it up to them to figure it out. Since I had no assistants, I looked at SåskÏa. She was to be _my_ assistant.

"You'll have to be the party planner for this one," I said.


	18. XVI

I was suddenly very good at evading sitting in on council meetings. I had no problems escaping Jernigan or Gerard's watchful eyes. SåskÏa was always an excuse. She was a guest; I had to be hospitable. Even though Jernigan considered her a suspicious character. I taught her how to ride a banister without fear, within the week. Also, she could form simple, but understandable sentences in Kyrrian. I lost my battle at keeping SåskÏa in Elle's room, right down the hallway. Jernigan had her moved to a guest room, which was furnished decently at least. He also told her she couldn't wear anymore of Elle's clothes so I had some dresses imported from the market for her.

"I need to go to market, " she caught me on my way out from breakfast one morning.

"Must you? Just ready a list of supplies and we'll have servants go out to buy them," I offered an alternative. People would surly stare at her if she went out on the street.

"No, I have what I need already. I had Mandy help me arrange to get the proper décor and ingredients. I even hired the minstrels of Bast and the Kyrrian instrumentalists," she bit her lip, I found her to do that when she was unsure of something.

"Then tell me again, what do you need at the market?"

"My costume,"

"Tell me what you want to portray and I shall have it ordered for you," I smiled, but she was more mysterious.

"I wanted to make it…by myself,"

I gave her a look. Why would a princess want to make her own costume when she had numerous other ways to obtain it?

She smiled bright, expecting me to wonder just that. "I want it to be a surprise, and I think it would be fun to do it on my own."

"As you wish," I inclined my head slightly. I shouldn't have catered to her every whim but I thought she deserved it after the horrors she had been through and also, it annoyed Jernigan immensely.

I entrusted two of the younger knights to accompany us out into the city since the older ones knew to pass the word along to my royal councilors that we had taken leave. Naturally I didn't want them to nag or follow me.

We snuck out of the castle with hoods covering our heads like fugitives, through the back keep, past the guard's barracks. Most guards were on duty or asleep so they never caught sight of us. Sir Alfonso and Sir Ferdinand, the two knights who were with us, agreed to stay low. They weren't dressed in any armor, just everyday, leisure garments. They did, however carry their swords, sheathed in case a situation could arise that should pose harm to SåskÏa or I.

Once we were off the property, we took our hoods down.

"Do you like feeling like a convict in your own home, I don't,"  
SåskÏa giggled jokingly when we reached the artisan's section of the market district.

"I'm never usually treated so. It's just that my family ran away from home so they are concerned that I am always accounted for," I started looking around at different shop signs.

"Oh that's right, 'ran away'," she winked.

As we strolled Frell's market district, and as I browsed the shop windows I noticed something. Not one of the people on the street recognized me. I had traveled Frell numerous times with my family, and always a crowd of people would clamor around bowing or staring in awe. I was their prince! No one knew whether to bow or address me with a title, I was just a well-dressed boy to them without my recognizable family. I found myself glowering inward, thinking of inwardly thoughts that made me angry. _Darius would be recognized_. I thought bitterly. _They would all be flocking to and bowing to him if he were here_.

"What is your problem?" I heard SåskÏa's voice cut into my silent brooding.

"What do you mean?" I almost snapped. She didn't care.

"It looks as if you swallowed a bug,"

I smirked disdainfully, "I was just thinking that if Darius were here right now everyone would be able to recognize him. If you haven't noticed, no one knows who I am. Their unimportant prince."

She considered my thought, "Darius is your older brother isn't he? Anyway it seems to me like you have a jealousy complex."

"A what?" I retorted angrily, expecting a bit of sympathy.

"Are you jealous that he is more known than you, or that he will become king?" she inquired turning her full attention on me.

"I'm not jealous!"

"Then you're in denial?"

"What? I don't want to have this conversation in public," I glanced around us. The people were staring, staring at SåskÏa. She looked different, different in a beautiful exotic sort of way. She had her black hair in a braid that fell over one of her shoulders and was wearing a blue velvet dress with gold trim. She flicked a mischievous smile at me and then did something I wouldn't have ever expected.

"Oh prince Kellin, what an honor it is to see you this day!" She about screamed and curtsied low. This caught the attention of _everyone_ in our vicinity. They started whispering to each other. The people of Kyrria knew that King Charmont and Queen Eleanor had a son named Kellin, they just must not have remembered what he looked like. I saw Alfonso's hand grip his sword hilt with caution with the number of people stopping to stare.

I looked to SåskÏa, who was waiting for me to say something.

"Yes, well….erm," I coughed awkwardly, "It is a pleasure to cross paths with you, my lady." I motioned for her to stand again. She rose slowly and stood across from me rather awkwardly. Then, the wandering customers seemed to remember who I was.

I saw group of young girls, probably maids, gather together and whisper between giggles. Peasants bowed and curtsied with apologetic smiles, acknowledging me with a "_Your highness" _or "_your majesty_"

I nodded back, secretly pleased they were paying attention to me. I was so indulged in greeting my subjects that I hadn't kept an eye on the Jarvanian princess. She was not where I left her. I had turned around for a couple moments and she had vanished.

I did not see Alfonso either.

"Where did she go?" I asked Ferdinand who was browsing an arrangement of herbs on a shelf outside of a spice shop.

"She took off down the street, Alfonso followed her," He didn't seem worried.

I dragged Ferdinand away from the spice shop in search of SåskÏa. What was she thinking, running off? It was easy to track her. I just had to ask somebody if they saw a girl that looked different from any girl they'd ever seen pass by. SåskÏa was too hard for someone's eyes to ignore.

It was a good half hour before I spotted her in front of a flower stand.

I was more than a little annoyed at her as I approached her. I wasn't going to start yelling at her though, not in the market.

"Oh, there you are," She noted like nothing was amiss, plucked a daisy and smelled it, "the flowers here are pretty, but not quite as gorgeous as Jarvana's."

"Why did you run off and not tell me where you were?" I demanded, but in reality it shouldn't have been a big matter. I just didn't like the thought of her disappearing.

"You were obviously too busy enjoying your fame," she put the daisy back into it's basket and pulled out a striking blue flower, "Now this is more like it." She put it in her hair, above her ear.

"Excuse me, but you weren't you the one who brought it on by that overdramatic display?" I bit back.

"You need to figure out what you want your highness. First you were complaining about not being known and now you are angry that I helped the people recognize their own prince. How does this flower look in my hair," She spoke while gathering a bouquet, picking different flowers out of the different baskets on the stand.

She turned around so I could see the flower. A morning glory, that's what it was. She was right, I was contradicting myself in a way. She was patient to put up with my attitude, and brave to speak to me so freely. I think I would have been a lot harsher with anyone else who had said what she'd said.

I sighed, "It looks...stunning." It really did. She gave the vender a brass KJ for her bouquet and we strolled the market once more. This time however, the shopping folk took note of who I was, and whom I was with. SåskÏa didn't notice or care if she did, that the townsfolk were whispering and pointing at her. They mumbled courtesies to me as I passed.

"So, what is Jarvana like?" I cleared my throat and asked her to ignore the wondrous glances made at us.

"Oh, much hotter. If I was wearing this, " she pointed to her gown, "In Jarvana, I would be boiling. The sun is merciless in Jarvana. To survive there, one needs shade and water, lots of it. When I was running for those months, when I had escaped. Water fell from the sky; it was quite remarkable. The night I came here water was falling from the sky."

"Do you mean to tell me it doesn't rain in Jarvana?" I asked incredulously.

"If that is what it's called '_rayne'_, yes, there is no _rayne_ in my part of Jarvana," she giggled.

"Then how do you have water?" I asked bewildered.

"There are wells we extract water from. Those are in nearby oases. Maybe it _rayne_ in the oases. There are trees and flowers there. The palace is in the sand however and I never traveled to the oases. The gifts of the oases were brought to us."

"So did you find your costume?"

"Yes,"

She was only carrying the bouquet. Was she going to wear flowers?? Those were _not_ enough flowers to cover her decently if she somehow found a way to wear them. She noticed my look of perplexity and gave a laugh.

"I gave it to Alfonso to take back to the castle, I want it to be a surprise,"

That would have explained why the young knight was no longer following us. Ferdinand however, was taking his time browsing the carts and stands of merchandise. I had a feeling he enjoyed it and didn't have a chance to do it often.

After SåskÏa's little act, it seemed as though everyone in the city knew I was out and about. People stopped going about their business just to follow me, showering me with praise. What had I done exactly? I was not to be king, and had done nothing of a heroic sort. Were they singing my praise for the simple fact I was a child of royalty? I felt guilty in a way for being so great to the people of Frell for having done nothing noteworthy.

Ferdinand eventually gave up on shopping and escorted us back to the castle. We did our best to sneak through the back again. It didn't matter anyway, because by the noon meal, all our doings were known to the castle.

"Enjoy your morning out?" Gerard asked politely. My fork froze in mid-air on its way from the plate to my mouth. I darted a look at Jernigan who was scowling. They must have known.

"It was pleasant," SåskÏa shrugged in Kyrrian and sipped some of her drink. She had been speaking it fairly well since of late. Impressing most people, but Jernigan was a pompous ass.

"The good people of Frell want to know more about _your_ beautiful lady," Jernigan spat.

SåskÏa smiled, and just to egg Jernigan on said, "I'm really beautiful? Why thank you councilor."

Jernigan rolled his eyes, possibly the most _un-_councilor like thing I ever saw him do.

"She is not _my_ lady," I protested.

"Everyone in Frell seems to think so," Jernigan replied.

"She is just the lady I get along with the most," I smiled at her.

She returned it.

"Is everything ready for the Hallows Eve Ball?" Gerard wondered.

"Everything," SåskÏa assured.

The ball was the next evening. I had already chosen my costume. I was to be a wolf. I had a gray tunic that I was to wear over a white, long-sleeved shirt. I also had matching gray trousers. I was going to wear my black hunting boots, even though they would be hard to dance in. I didn't expect to dance much. All of the ladies would be looking for Darius and once they found out he was absent would stand on the sidelines and pout.

I was curious to what costume SåskÏa was going to wear, but she wouldn't tell me no matter how often I asked to know. The Hallows Eve ball, I must admit was my favorite social event. It wasn't stuffy like formal cotillions. There would be lots and lots of wine and cider, resulting in a huge amount of guests being carried off by servants in the early hours of morning.

I smiled suddenly, remembering Darius to be the only one in the family carried to his rooms last year. Darius couldn't resist a bottle of raspberry wine, his favorite flavor. Perhaps it was a good thing he wasn't attending then.

After lunch, SåskÏa disappeared to her guest room to finish her costume. I traveled to the kitchen to talk with Mandy. She was cleaning the counters of ingredients.

"Hello love," she greeted me.

"Hello, that was a delicious meal," I complimented.

"I'll run all the cooks out of Kyrria someday," she laughed.

"I can't wait to see what food you conjure up for the ball tomorrow," I said and my mouth salivated just thinking about it.

"I do not conjure delicious food young man, I cook it, bake it, and broil it," she became guarded, fearing I would somehow reveal her true blood. I never understood why fairies liked being so secretive of their true identities. I asked mother once, she said it was because when people found out that someone was a fairy, they would want them to solve all their problems. I guess that would be agitating, having strangers wanting your help all the time for problems they can solve themselves if they just thought about it.

I noticed a bouquet of flowers on the shelf above the sink; they looked oddly familiar. Mandy saw me studying them as she placed bottles of spices on the shelf next to it.

"Ah, your lady gave those to me in thanks for preparing tomorrow's food,"

I twisted my face up, "She is not _my_ lady,"

Mandy chuckled, "Well all of the castle is busy with rumors about you two, and what's so wrong with her that you make that face when someone says it?"

I sighed but didn't answer her question, nothing was wrong with SåskÏa. She was confidant, entertaining, generous, and quite a strong person. "Is she really a princess?"

"Why ask me, you're the one who is constantly keeping her company," Mandy was surprised.

"It's just that, she's so different. I thought princesses were supposed to be spoiled, dainty and superficial."

"Is your sister any of those?"

"I mean _real_ princesses," I rolled my eyes.

"Elle _is_ a real princess love," she reminded me.

"I meant, you know, princesses from other countries," I explained because my twin sister wasn't anything like I had listed.

"Princesses come in all varieties, they are in fact people but with a fancier title than the average person," she noted.

"I just don't want SåskÏa thinking she has to be my lady if everyone starts to say she is. I don't even know how long she is going to stay here anyway, she could be gone in another month!"

I was riled at the thought of her leaving, but she didn't have to stay here, no one was making her. If she left however I would be forced back into following Jernigan and Gerard's advice with no fun.

Mandy gave me an expression that was between amusement and suspicion at my outburst.

"Well you enjoy yourself at the ball love, and don't break too many girls' hearts," she kissed my forehead and was out.

I was having doubts suddenly, of who SåskÏa said she was. It was hard to believe someone as wonderful as her was an actual princess. Any royalty I had ever met were quite dislikable. The princess, Alianna of Ayortha had stayed at our castle for a year a few years ago. The Kyrrian and Ayorthan courts usually had the eldest child of royalty exchange countries for a year when they were of age. Father said that it kept peace. Anyway, Alianna was the rudest girl I had ever met. She was always looking down on others, ignoring what people had to say. She was picky in food, complained to Mandy for putting too much salt in her grilled salmon. I told Mandy to cast an ugly spell on Alianna, and to my ultimate surprise she didn't argue. The next day Alianna did have a big pimple on her forehead but Mandy admitted to nothing.

I was going to walk to the library to think but I was spotted by Gerard and made to accompany him on a stroll through the gardens.

"How are you feeling this afternoon, your highness?" he asked smiling into the sun.

"Fair enough," I replied, kicked a stone.

"Where is SåskÏa?" he inquired, it was unusual we weren't together since we had been since she arrived.

"She's making her costume for the ball," I shrugged.

"Excuse me?"

"She wanted to sew her own costume,"

Gerard raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "That hardly sounds like something a princess would do, don't you think?"

I knew it was out of the ordinary, even Elle had her gowns sewn by seamstresses. There was a note of hinting in his voice.

"Why do you say that?" I asked with a frown.

He sighed, "My boy, I wrote a letter to the Ayorthan court. I inquired whether or not any of what SåskÏa said was true…"

"Please tell me it was," I said with wide eyes.

"It was, however there is no way to be sure from that information that she is truly a princess. All that Ayortha confirmed was that they banished a man, Arsun and that he was retaliating with small military factions every so often. They knew nothing of any princess."

I sighed, SåskÏa, what a mystery.

"However Jernigan has thought of a way to find out for sure,"

"What is it?"

"Remember when you were young, Darius and you pulled a prank by putting marbles in your sister's mattress?"

I laughed quickly, "Yes, I remember,"

"Or when your sister piled rocks under Princess Alianna's pillow a few years back?"

"That was Elle?!" I asked, I had thought it had been one of the poor maids Alianna was always ordering about.

"Yes. They both woke up horribly bruised however," he said.

"Well princesses who sleep on hard objects will wake up with bruises. They have soft skin, because they don't work and they don't bask in the sun," I nodded.

"Exactly! Jernigan proposes that we layer twenty mattresses and place a hard pea underneath the bottom one. SåskÏa shall sleep on it, and in the morning if she is bruised then she is a true princess, because only princesses have that soft of skin."

I stared at him, was he really that thick? Jernigan despised SåskÏa - everyone knew it. It was a test set for SåskÏa to fail. Even if she was a princess, her skin was worked. She had been on the run for months, out in the elements, and it had toughened up considerably. If she weren't a princess, I would have hated for her to face the humiliation Jernigan would set upon her when she woke up without any bruises.

"That is idiotic," I declared.

"Jernigan is going through with it, and many counsel members agree it is the right thing to do," he said.

So, they all wanted her to fail, just because she was different.

"All of you are idiots!" I cried and turned swiftly to leave.

"You could always just tell her how you feel, and it would not matter if she was a princess or not!" Gerard advised, calling after me.

Everyone was daft. They thought she was an imposter and they thought I loved her. They had it all wrong! She was a real princess and I simply enjoyed her presence. I wonder if Darius ever had those problems? No, because he never kept in company of one lady for such long period of time. He didn't choose favorites, just like a true diplomat. I stormed into my room brooding about how Darius was everything I was not. He was the prince charming, and I was the prince boring. I stared into my mirror, at the glowering boy who was glowering back at me. He was of medium height, with medium dark brown hair, which was falling partially over his eyes. Medium sized lips, a medium nose, with a medium amount of freckles. I was simply a standard looking prince of mediocrity. I was forgettable. I was in a sour mood.

Which only soured the more I thought of SåskÏa. SåskÏa herself didn't make my mood sour, just things involving her. Was she lying about herself? I could forgive her if she had a good enough excuse. I'd like to think everything she had told me was truth. The twenty mattresses and the pea idea were ludicrous. I didn't want her to be put into prison, for Jernigan would surely place her there as soon as she failed his test. I hated how everyone assumed she was _my_ lady. She wasn't anyone's. It wouldn't matter if I had deep feelings for her or not because if she was still here when Darius returned, one look at him and she'd be in love like the countless other girls in the country. I lay on my bed brooding about everything in my life from my parents always being away to bossy royal councilors, to my jealousy of my older brother and his attention, and SåskÏa was sure to be in prison by a fortnight.

I had never felt so alone in my life.


	19. XVII

I woke up grumpily the next day, not good considering the ball would begin later that day and I was supposed to be in a good hospitality mood for my guests since the rest of my family hated me and wouldn't come home. I dressed in casual attire for breakfast since I wasn't to appear in front of anyone important until the ball.

Gerard and Jernigan were at the table, and to my surprise so was Auntie Hattie, my loathsome step-aunt.

"Why are _you_ here?" I about choked; regretful I had dressed so well for her.

"What a lovely way to greet your relative, Kellin," she smiled false and chidingly, showing her big front teeth. "Jerni, invited me for breakfast. He is my suitor you do know?" She continued and saw surprise and disgust register on my face. "Oh you didn't? Well I guess you don't have time to talk to your other family, what with playing host to imposter harpies. Speaking of which, where is your lady?"

I wanted to scream, but everyone knew I was just going to deny that SåskÏa was my lady. Instead a slapped the table and said, "Curses Auntie Hattie, don't you have anyone else to cause nightmares today?"

She bared her huge teeth at me.

"Enough!" Jernigan snapped. It was convenient to have my parents away so often for him. Mother would _never_ allow any of her stepfamily to dine with us. Auntie Hattie must have found an alternate way to weasel into the castle through our councilor. I don't see how any one could be taken with her though. She was a fright.

I glowered at her. She simply cozied up to the councilor. Where was SåskÏa anyhow? Usually she was awake before anyone. Jernigan opted to start breakfast without her, how like him. We finished hotcakes with syrup and blueberry muffins, washing it down with milk and honey, and still there was no SåskÏa.

I left my step-aunt to her obsolete scheming to gain. I traveled to the guest room SåskÏa was staying in and knocked on the door. There was no answer. I knocked again, and still there was no reply. I decided to enter; after all it was my castle more than anyone currently living in it. There was a pile of blankets on the bed, although they were lumped together to form a hump in the middle. Was SåskÏa somewhere in there? I crept up to the huddle to determine whether or not it as her. Her head was the only part of her body emerging from the covers. Sunshine from the window was catching the silver jewel above her eye, casting a tiny glimmer on the wall. I carefully touched it, still wondering what it was exactly. To tell the truth I feared to touch SåskÏa, just in case I didn't have her permission to lay a hand on her.

She turned her head out of the sun's warmth with a mumble and slowly opened her eyes. I never noticed how much of an intense bright green they were, surrounded by a ring of brown.

"Kellin?"

"You missed breakfast," I told her.

She lifted her head and looked around tiredly, probably trying to tell what time it was.

"Sorry. I stayed up late, finishing my costume," she yawned and her arms popped out from the covers to stretch. Then pulled back in at once. "It is so cold in your country."

"It will only be getting colder by the day now," I chuckled at her horrified expression. "What is that for?" I finally asked, pointing to her eyebrow.

Her hand touched the silver jewel, "This? It's a mark of beauty. All women of royalty receive it at a young age in Jarvana"

"What is it though?"

"It's a jewel, you see you take something sharp and stab a hole through the skin, called a piercing, and then fasten it through the hole,"

I winced, "That's kind of silly, to induce pain for beauty."

SåskÏa frowned, "It's no different from the women here, fitted with undergarments so tight that they cannot breath, almost crushing their ribs in order to look thinner and more beautiful," Her point was made. "Besides, pain doesn't bother me."

I wonder what she meant by that.

"Now, may I get dressed?" she bore her eyes into me, telling me to remove myself.

I smiled mischievously, "Of course, you don't need _my_ permission."

She smiled, but with even more mischief. I thought to mimic her previous game of staying in the room. Instead of amending her request for me to leave, she slid out of the bed. I think my jaw dropped at her boldness as she walked to the wardrobe in a semi-sheer, lace garment.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked casually, turning around so that the sun shone on her, facing me, and making her curvy outline ever so obvious.

I swallowed, "What do you mean?"

"It looks like you are trying to make a loud animal noise,"

My mouth snapped shut with a fast reddening face, "Well I wasn't."

"Good, because you were failing miserably at it," she laughed and pulled a casual dress of pink. Pink looked silly on her in my opinion.

I should have left; I had lost my own game. Actually it was SåskÏa's game, and she was good at it. I didn't quite know the rules or the winnings at stake, but I liked playing along.

She completely ignored my presence as she stepped behind a dressing screen and began to hum. When I saw the scandalous chemise tossed up to drape over the screen, I decided to leave. My face was blushing furiously. What kind of gentleman was I? Not a very good one if I went around and didn't allow ladies to dress in privacy.

"There now," I heard SåskÏa's voice behind me and jumped away startled.

"Is there any breakfast left?" she asked, not at all bothered by my sudden red-faced startledness.

"Hopefully, but since you weren't awake in time, we ate breakfast without you," I stated and we traveled to the dining room. My face fell when we entered and everything had been whisked away. No more hotcakes! No more blueberry muffins! SåskÏa was not deterred by this emptiness; she simply marched out of the dining room and continued to the kitchens. Mandy had a plate of blueberry muffins for her on the counter. I was baffled at Mandy for knowing to save any at all. Usually the cook staff was treated to Mandy's leftovers unless it was a special occasion.

The kitchen was busy however. Smells of everything collided together and wafted into my nostrils like a delicious gypsy dance. I saw boars being roasted, bread being kneaded and then placed in the huge fire ovens. Soup was being ladled, spices added, vegetables being diced. Batter was stirred, butter churned, and baskets of picked berries being brought in bushels. Feasting food it was, for the ball. I was awed by all the work. SåskÏa just calmly ate her blueberry muffin. I didn't bother Mandy because she was busy ordering orders on which food went where.

I felt my already full stomach give a leap of joy at the food that awaited me at the ball. I actually felt sort of sorry for my family for missing out on such an occasion. Everyone liked the Hollows Eve masked ball.

SåskÏa rubbed her hands together to rid them of any crumbs, signaling that she was done eating.

"What are your plans for today?" I asked. Maybe we could have tried riding the stair banisters again since they were newly polished.

"Usually I don't have any plans…" she reminded me which made me daydream of sliding down those bronze rails. "But, I still need some more time to finish my costume so that I can wear it tonight."

So much for stair rails, it was only truly fun when doing it with another.

She hopped of her place at the kitchen and went to go do what needed to be done. I should have thought to snoop around in her room before I woke her that morning, maybe to uncover her mysterious costume. I couldn't talk with Mandy since she was commanding the kitchen so I popped off to my favorite place that I hadn't visited in a while. The library.

What I loved about the library was that it was quiet, and away from other people. Rows of books stacked the walls, and ladders on wheels moved across the shelves to reach the higher tomes. I knew the subject arrangements by heart. For some reason I found my feet had led me to the geography section. I dwelled there sometimes, especially when I was younger and wanted to know about the places my parents traveled to, hoping someday I could join them as well. Unfortunately I was still stuck in the same place I was born. My eyes landed on a black bound book that I had never seen before. It was right at my feet, no wonder. I always looked high for books. Usually the best ones were on top.

I pulled it out, very dusty, very old. Possibly even ancient. The binding was unraveling, the pages a dull yellow and very brittle. I opened it carefully and in faded ink I could make out: "_Te Unsolv yster of rega"_ or, if you knew how to fill in the blanks, "_The Unsolved Mystery of Dregat_."

Now, when us children were taught about geographical regions by our governess, the only comment made about Dregat was that it was a dead kingdom of the north where dragon-creatures roamed and that if we wished to live a full life, never to wander it's borders. It was a place of rocky terrain that gave way to tall, vast mountains, so no one really wanted to travel there.

However, I continued reading because no one ever explained to me how it became a dead kingdom.

_Legend is all that remains of Dregat. No living persons know the catastrophe that caused the demise of the northern kingdom. Dragons have been known to fly out of the borders of the dark, desolate landscape, but no one dares to enter. By evidence found by those brave or foolish enough to disturb its eerie silence, it is thought that people thrived there under an organized rulership, but it dates back farther than the establishment of Clyone, Kyrria or Ayortha._

I stopped reading. I'd learned more from the prologue than any governess could have ever taught me. I may have contracted gooseflesh at the chilling thought of what might have happened to Dregat's peoples, but I pushed that eerie feeling away. Fairies had lived since the dawn of time, a fairy would have been alive when Dregat fell, and a fairy would still be around to tell of how…that is if one knew where to find a fairy. Luckily for me, I knew there was one was in my kitchen.

A/N- Hey, sorry for not updating for a long time. I'm trucking through it though, and it will be finished. I don't know when, but I shant abandon it! Oh yes, you might argue 'but in _Ella Enchanted_, she says Hattie never marries!' and it's true. Just keep reading…


	20. XVIII

"Mandy how old are you?" I asked, marching into the kitchen. She was collapsed onto a stool at the moment, fanning herself from all the oven heat.

"Love, it's not polite to ask a lady her age…"

"Do you know what caused Dregat to become a dead kingdom?" I asked bluntly to get her attention. She paled and threw me a look not to talk about her fairy origins in public. Instead she jumped up and grabbed my arm, pulling me to the pantry.

"Why do ask such a question?" she cried with wide eyes.

"I was in the library…" I said and her fearful expression subsided, "and I found a book written long ago about the mystery of Dregat. Mandy, the book was so old it referenced Clyone as an active kingdom and yet it said that Dregat's fall was ages before.

I thought that since you have lived forever, you might have a clue to what horrible thing happened to the country."

She sighed, "I do."

I was surprised she admitted it so suddenly. I gave her a look to urge her to tell.

"There once was a prince who lived in a shining castle, and although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind."

"He sounds like a perfect match for Alianna," I chuckled but Mandy frowned.

"One winter's night an old beggar woman came to the door and offered a rose in exchange for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered the gift and turned the old woman away."

"Poor old lady," I commented.

"Kellin, if you interrupt me one more time you will never know what happened, and I will not agree to tell you again!" she shouted. I shut up, not planning to say anything else until she finished.

"She warned him not to be deceived by appearances for beauty lies within. And when he dismissed her again, the old lady transformed into a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart and to punish him transformed him into a hideous beast."

"Was it Lucinda?" curiosity got the best of me and I asked. Lucinda was supposedly the rash fairy who cast spells on people. According to Mother, Lucinda was the one who had cursed her to be obedient. Darius and Elle have always been skeptical about the truth of it. I've always believed mother not only because I am a fan of magic but also Mother always seems to take pleasure in not doing what people tell her to.

I'd never seen Mandy look so angry in my life at my interruption. Her jaw was clenched tight and then she left the pantry with a curt "I have work to do."

"Wait!" I cried, because I was possibly going to discover how Dregat became a dead kingdom, something no mortal in the entire world knew! It was too late however, I had peeved Mandy, and she was definitely not going to tell me what happened since I had interrupted her so often. Dregat seemed like a touchy subject but I couldn't even fathom to why it would bother Mandy.

The food was coming together well. I smelled more and more delicious smells when I stepped out of the pantry. Mandy ignored me while she continued to order cooks and scullery maids around the room from the ovens to the counters.

Gerard waved me down on my way back to the library. He was in a cheerful mood and I briefly caught a flashback of last year at the masked ball where he became quite rosy in the cheeks from five pints of cider. I was inwardly laughing by the time he caught up to me.

"How goes it my liege?" he asked.

"I'm fine and yourself?" I fell back into my princely politeness. I really didn't care how Gerard was feeling unless he was to be very ill, that could have presented problems. Jernigan would have been the only active high royal councilor, and I never wanted that to happen.

"I am pleasant. Many important guests are to arrive tonight from all over Kyrria. The duke of Blaine, the Countess Fauna, and Lady Evangela all the way from Orthor." Orthor was the next biggest city after Frell in Kyrria. It was hard to reach with it being in the far eastern part of the country with the Fens separating the two. I wasn't really impressed with Gerard's list of names. Blaine was a man I couldn't stand, Fauna was boring and I had never met Evangela in person. According to court gossip (which was something I tried to avoid but it was nearly impossible) Evangela was a widow. She was a young widow however, Darius's age at most. She was one of the girls that married an ancient man and waited until he died, gaining his money. Fortunately she now owned gold and silver mines in the Orthor Mountains, and Frell depended on those raw materials to produce KJ's.

So maybe I was a bit impressed that the Lady Evangela was coming to the masked ball when she never had before.

I nodded as if I was thinking, but it was arbitrary. Gerard was a good man but he bored me at times. I bid him farewell, and since I had nothing better to do I called for all the castle's squires. They were young boys, fourteen to sixteen, and eager-eyed when all standing in front of me.

"As you all know, there is a ball tonight as I'm sure all the knights have told you. I bet you can't wait to dance, eat, and have your eyes on all the ladies," I smirked, and some of the boys nudged each other and laughed, "but I ask a favor. Since I am the only member of the royal family _here_, it is impossible for me to stand outside and greet each and every guest that enters. Usually there's three to five of us…but anyhow, squires I ask you to please help me greet the guests. Just tell them that the castle of Charmont welcomes them and we're glad they could come. Any questions?"

A redheaded boy raised his hand, "What if all the food is gone by the time we're done?"

"Trust me lad, I have been in the kitchens today and we are not going to run out of food."

"Prince Kellin, how many girls are going to be there?" a young boy asked. It was surprising he was so young and interested in girls.

"Plenty," I replied.

"Are you going to dance with the bronze-skinned girl?"

I stared hard at the speaker. He was a year younger than me, and very bold to ask such a question. He defended himself with, "You asked us if we had any questions!"

"That was an improper question." I stated coldly and dismissed them.

It seemed as though everyone thought I was taken with SåskÏa.

There would be no noon meal since a giant feast would fill everyone's appetites later. I wasn't particularly hungry but then again, my stomach was begging for time to hurry up so I could devour cakes and meats that would never cease.

Jernigan must have been busy entertaining Auntie Hattie because he hadn't nagged me all day. Maybe there was some good that came along with her. Hattie would be furious if she knew that her coming around spared me grief. Her whole purpose for showing her face around the castle was to cause it.

I went to my room and fell onto my bed. I wanted to ride stair banisters with SåskÏa. It was a few more hours until the ball so I decided on a nap.

Naps are pleasant. It is not pleasant, however to be woken quite abruptly from one by a castle maid telling you that guests are arriving and wondering where the youngest prince and by chance, the only present royal family member is. I swore very un-princely- like as I dismissed the maid and threw on pieces of my costume. I was tugging savagely my boot onto my foot as I hopped out of my room, and then briskly walked down the corridors until I was at the entrance. I quickly said a 'hello' to each costumed person I had passed and finally faced the line of nobles waiting to get in. The squires immediately looked less awkward.

There were many guests. I didn't even remember to ask SåskÏa how many invitations she sent out for the event. Too many people asked me where the rest of my family was. I used a lot of breath to explain, and by the time I was done greeting, my mouth was as dry as Jarvana. I was about to go and drink a barrel of water, wine, or the first liquid I should come upon but one last guest arrived.

"Sorry I am late," the woman purred apologetically. She was a sight. She was wearing a bright green and blue gown with large feather plumes sticking out of her flaming red hair.

"It's quite all right, the night is still young," I kissed her hand out of habit.

She lifted her mask and I saw a lovely face, "Where's the rest of your family?"

My tongue was screaming for moisture and I didn't even know who this woman was, "Out of town."

"I'm Lady Evangela. I've never been to Frell before but I know who everyone in your family is. Are you Kellin or Darius?"

I smirked; someone thought I could be Darius. "I'm Kellin."

"Glad to meet you," She smiled.

I escorted the lady Evangela into the ballroom. I showed her where the food was. The food looked glorious. Many guests were adding to their plates already. Gerard approached us with a mug of cider. I held in chuckle at his already rosy cheeks.

"My prince! Who is this beautiful lady by your side?"

"I am lady Evangela," she said and held out her hand. She did not need me to introduce her. However my slightly intoxicated high royal councilor did need one.

"Evangela, this is the high royal counselor, Gerard," I motioned toward him but he was already kissing her hand.

"I have something important to talk to you about," She said to both of us, lowering her voice. "We need to go elsewhere."

I led them into the study, where no party guest was allowed.

Evangela straightened her dress and looked at us carefully. "I have brought something of great value that I could not leave at home."

I looked at Gerard; he was trying his best to look professional and concerned.

"Pray tell us what it is," I said when he didn't make a move to talk.

She reached in her dress and brought out a small leather bag. I was secretly impressed she could hold that in her bosom.

"In this are the rarest of jewels from the mountains of Orthor. No other place in the world can they be found. I feared if I left them in my manor that my miners would raid it for them. I ask that you, the prince, keep them safe and hidden during the ball.

"Yes my lady, I shall," I nodded. There was a safe that only the royal family and counselors had access to. There was one key and it was located in a secret place.

"I shall put them away. Have no worries madam," Gerard set down his mug and took them. "Go dance, and be merry!"

I escorted Evangela back to the ballroom.

"Thank you for your help, you are too kind Prince Kellin," she slid her mask back over her head.

"Would you care to dance?"

"I'd love to!"

I took her arm and swung her out onto the ballroom floor where the Kyrrian Instrumentalists were starting a minuet. I bowed to her and she curtsied to me. There were many interesting costumes on my guests. We danced for a while and then I excused myself to eat. There was plenty of food. I would have liked Mandy to join in on the ball but I think she was more comfortable in the kitchens. She wasn't very glamorous either, which I didn't understand. She just could have transformed herself into a beautiful maiden. She had the magic but probably considered it to be to big for her to use on herself. I took a plate of ham and fresh buns to eat. I would certainly be back for more since I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

I heard the music stop in the middle of a farandole. I found it odd that they did not finish the song. I continued eating and smiling at guests. They probably didn't know I was the prince, they were just there for a good time because they born with the right to attend.

Music I never heard before started up in the ballroom. It was slow and rhythmic. There was a crowd, circled around the middle of the room. No one let me through until I sternly demanded they should for I was the prince. They all moved quickly out of my way after that. There was a masked lady in a beautiful white, feathered dress. It did not flounce out like the current fashion. The skirt hung against her hips, slim and vertical and the bodice only covered her middle section, leaving her shoulders and lower neck uncovered. She had on, unconnected feathery sleeves. Even though strange, it was highly attractive. She had on a mask that was white as well, with matching feathers and a small orange, triangle representing a beak.

She was dancing by herself in front of everyone - in a way I had never seen a lady dance before. Extremely gracefully, in movements very fluid with her arms risen over her head. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes upon. No girl had caught my attention and hypnotized me like she did. If I hadn't of noticed the raven hair, piled into curls or how the white dress contrasted so beautifully against the dark golden skin, I would have never known I had fallen in love with SåskÏa.


	21. XIX

The music ended and I was free of SåskÏa's spell. The people clapped, delighted for the entertainment. Some maidens were actually asking SåskÏa how to do the dance but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't mimic the fluid movements. Their corsets probably restricted them. SåskÏa spotted me amidst the crowd and smiled. I felt my stomach weaken. I was in love with her and I had told everyone I was not.

"You never told me you were such a marvelous dancer," I said as she approached.

"You never asked."

"How was I to know?"

"Oh, you could have brought it up. You could have asked, 'SåskÏa can you dance?' and I would have replied, 'but of course my liege, I'm a princess of Jarvana. I know many dances that are strange to you, would you like to see?'" She flitted around me, making up our imaginary conversation if I had been curious enough to ask her.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I missed breakfast and the noon meal!"

"Mandy made plenty of food, why not indulge yourself?" I motioned toward the room where the food was.

"Ah but all I wish to do is indulge in dance! Come, come, be my partner," she commanded and grabbed my hand. I didn't budge. I would break if I were to dance with her. She and everyone else would know I was in love with her. I did not know if she even would return my affection. I wouldn't be able to take her refusal.

"What is wrong? Are you a fumble-footed wolf?" she asked.

"I was going to get more to eat," I said.

"Oh. Well have at it and then come find me when you are done," she let go of my hand. I wished I could have held it forever, but she disappeared among the crowd of dancers.

I went back to the food table and grabbed a piece of cake. The frosting was silky and delicious.

Lord Blaine had a chance to catch up with me while I was eating.

"Prince Kellin, what a marvelous ball you've put together in your family's absence," he smiled. It was in a polite manner yet still a hint of mockery was evident.

"I had the lady SåskÏa plan it."

"Who is she? Is that the girl everyone has been talking about recently?" He took a piece of cake as well.

"Yes, she is the dancer you just saw,"

"Oh! What a gorgeous creature she is. If your sister didn't like me so much, I just might try to steal the lass away."

I frowned. For one thing, Elle did not like Blaine at all. Secondly, he admitted that he would try to gain SåskÏa's affections, when he knew everyone thought she was my lady. I wanted to punch him in his smug face.

"Yes, well I'll be sure to pass your thoughts on to my sister when she returns," I said hollowly.

He frowned then, took the hint and left.

"Prince Kellin, you promised me a dance!" the lady Farrah whirled up to me.

I remembered telling her that I did _not_ promise her anything. She was holding a glass of raspberry wine and her tone had a giggle in it. No wonder.

"I'm eating," I said.

She pouted. She was a pretty girl and I saw many young men at the entrance of the room that had their eyes on her.

"Very well, but only one," I set my plate down.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the dance floor. We entered into a slow waltz. Farrah shouldn't have had so much to drink, for a waltz would only make her dizzy.

"Oh Kellin, you are the best prince. Darius can't hold a candle to your suave footwork," she hiccupped and I stepped on her foot on accident.

The girl was intoxicated. She merely giggled after I stepped on her. I spotted Jernigan and Auntie Hattie waltzing about. I decided I'd rather keep my food digested so I looked away.

In the other direction, I saw a flash of white feathers go by me and there was SåskÏa, dancing with Alfonso. She gave me a questionable look, for I was supposed to be dancing with her when I was done eating. The music switched to a sarabande and I switched partners but not to SåskÏa. I was paired with a lass younger than me that was awestruck in my presence. She must have known who I was. It was spread around the guests that the prince was dressed as a wolf. I switched partners many times but never to SåskÏa. At one point I saw her in Blaine's arms, and it took a lot of princely politeness not to tear them apart.

Finally the sarabande ended and I went to find her. She was in my line of sight, waiting for me to ask her to dance but Evangela cut in front of us, halfway there.

"One more dance your highness?"

I forced a smile, and was the politest prince my parents could ask for. "As you wish, lady."

I took her hand and led her back to the ballroom floor, and as I turned to face Evangela, I saw SåskÏa's face. She was hurt at my accidental avoidance of her. Dodging many men with white feathers trailing her, she fled the ballroom.

"Excuse me my lady, but there is something I must attend to," I bowed. Ferdinand was standing nearby, keeping a lookout. I grabbed him and placed him in front of Evangela. "This is Ferdinand, and he is a great dancer."

I didn't know if that was true but I trusted Ferdinand to keep Evangela happy while I was away.

I traveled down the corridor to the kitchens since that's the way SåskÏa had run. I turned the corner and there she was. Her back was pressed up against the wall and her arms were crossed.

"Who was your lady?" she inquired. There was a hint of bitterness in her tone.

"She's just a wealthy widow from Orthor. She's never been to Frell before," I answered.

"She is beautiful," she sighed.

"So are you," I couldn't help but to blurt.

"Thank you," she said it so cordial. She was miffed at me.

"Did you know that there is a secret passageway that leads to the old castle behind that cabinet?"

"Really?" her interest was piqued.

"Yes. I found it when I was younger. No one knows about, not even my family. It's my only secret," I opened the door of the cabinet. It was behind the pantry, and no one knew about it. I grabbed a torch from the kitchen corridor and stepped into the cabinet. I had to hunch my shoulders a bit for I had grown taller since I last entered.

"You're not scared are you? 'Tis just a tunnel," I held out my hand.

"I'm the bravest girl you'll ever meet," she grabbed it, all of her anger melted away. I closed the door behind us. It was a little chilly and many cobwebs were hanging above our heads.

"What was it used for?"

"Perhaps a way to get from one castle to the other without getting rained or snowed on?"

"I think maybe they used it to escape if they were under attack," she touched the earthy wall.

"Kyrria has never been attacked," I stated.

"I wished I had one of these in Jarvana, maybe my mother would be alive," she said which quickly put a somber feeling in the air.

"I have to tell you something," I spoke suddenly.

"Yes?"

"It's important for you to know because I don't want to lose you,"

"Just tell me Kellin," she came closer to hear.

"Jernigan wants to test you, to see if you are a real princess,"

"Oh? What kind of test?"

"A ridiculous one. It is so idiotic, and you would only fail."

"Are you saying that I couldn't pass an idiotic test set up by your pompous-ass councilor?" she smiled.

"No! I mean that…never mind what I meant. They have stacked your bed with twenty mattresses and have placed a pea under the bottom-most one. When you sleep tonight, they expect you to be sleepless and bruised by the pea because princesses have such delicate skin," I explained.

SåskÏa wasn't concerned but laughed. She laughed and laughed after what I spoke of.

"So what if I don't wake up sleepless and bruised?" she caught her breath.

"Then you are considered a fraud and get thrown into the dungeon for lying," I looked at the ground.

She wasn't laughing anymore.

"Are you serious? You would let them do that?"

"I am serious and the counsel has decided that is the consequence for failure. They want you to fail SåskÏa. You are different from everybody and it threatens them."

"Do I threaten you?" she asked, stepping even closer, her eyes searching me. They sparkled in reflection of the torch flame.

"No."

She stepped back and sighed. "I guess I'll have to stay up all night and you'll have to beat me some."

"Excuse me? I am _not_ going to hit a lady," I was taken aback by her plan.

"I need to have bruises for them to believe I am a real princess by their standards," she explained.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I won't be angry. I will condone you for beating me, now please a few punches into my arms and I'll be as bruised as a banana," she stuck out her arms.

"I refuse," I shook my head. I didn't want to touch her. What if I had beaten her and became ill because she didn't give me permission to touch her?

"What if I attack you?"

"Oh please, you won't attack…" I was wrong. She came at my like a wild thing from the forests. Her nails dug into my skin and she pushed me back. I dropped the torch and grabbed her, holding her back with all my strength. She was adamant on injuring me. I pushed her and she fell but was right back on her feet, her white dress was starting to get tinted from the dust.

"I'll stop when you beat me," she said and lunged into me, knocking me back to the ground. She actually grabbed my hair and yanked on it. I yelled as I found her arm and twisted it. She yelped.

"Sorry…" I breathed but she hurled herself at me again.

"Twisting my arm won't leave any bruises!"

She was mad! I finally stopped our futile struggling by shoving her hard into the wall. She fell and laid still.

"SåskÏa! SåskÏa!" I shook her with worry.

She gingerly opened her eyes and smiled at me, "I think that will leave a mark or two."

We dusted ourselves off and continued to the old castle through the secret passage way.

"What is this?" she asked, fingering an engraving in the wall. I held the torch up to it. In the wall, a heart was carved, in it, it read '_Lars + Elia.' _I never had noticed it before.

"Lars was my great-great-great-grandfather who lived in the old castle," I said. I didn't know of any 'Elia'. Lars had married the lady Cecily. I wondered if he had an affair?We moved onward and there finally came an end to the tunnel. I knocked on the ground above us and it was hollow. It was the way out. I opened the trap door; it was dark in the old castle. I handed SåskÏa the torch and helped her up to climb through the way. I then hauled myself up. We were in a small room, the one that no one knew about. I opened the door and we emerged into a corridor.

I showed her around the old castle, explaining it was still used for small cotillions and private weddings. I told her that my grandfather and Grandmum Olga were married there a long time ago.

We exited the castle into a blizzard.

"Ohhh!" she exclaimed covering herself up, "It's freezing!"

"It's not that long of a walk back to the castle, come on," I motioned for her to follow.

"I'd rather just stay in the old castle," she stepped back.

"Here, I'll carry you," I turned around and offered my back.

She jumped on and I trudged through the deepening snow. It was about ten minutes of trudging before we came to my castles front steps. We were both freezing. Upon entering, many guests had fallen asleep on the ground. Ladies were fanning themselves and gossiping. Men were drinking and toasting and laughing. The Kyrrian Instrumentalists were collapsed in one part of the room while the Minstrels of Bast had taken over, entertaining the remaining crowd with ballads.

I set SåskÏa down. The clock at the old castle was chiming four in the morning. Had I been dancing that long? Or had all the time slipped by while I was in the tunnel? I accompanied SåskÏa back to her room. There was a fire already going when we entered. There were also twenty mattresses piled onto her bed. She stood by the fireplace to thaw, and I noticed her perfect silhouette in the glow.

"Stay here, as long as you'd like," I said softly with a smile. I couldn't help it - she made me happy.

"I will, thank you. And thank you for that adventure, and well…telling me…" she smiled warmly and glanced at the bottom mattress. A bruise was already beginning to form on her arm where she had knocked it. Jernigan would be so surprised.

She slipped off her feather sleeves and laid them across a chair. I bowed and turned to go have the sleep of my life. No one would be waking me in a few hours; the whole castle was out from the ball.

"Wait just one moment," SåskÏa stopped me. I turned around with a tremendous yawn to get the point across that was on my way to sleep.

"You owe me a dance," she stated.

It was true; I hadn't shared a dance with her all night. I was scared to touch her, If I did, I could become ill. She was not my lady. I had tried to prove that to everyone and by not dancing with her, I had caused her feelings to be hurt.

"Very well," I nodded tiredly and walked to stand in front of her. We had no music to dance to.

"Aren't you supposed to hold your dance partner?" she inquired as I stared down on her, trying to figure out how to touch her without it affecting me.

I nodded again, "If I touch you…I mean do I have your perm," I asked flustered. She stared at me amused and gently grabbed my arm and placed it on her back.

"Kellin, I saw your face the night I stumbled in and asked you for help, only you. And ever since then you've had my consent to touch me," she spoke smoothly, just like her skin on her shoulders that I was feeling. She grabbed my other arm and placed it on her waist, then pressed into me further than any dance ever required so her face was almost level with mine. She whispered into my ear, "Anywhere."

We began to dance a slow allemande. She was so gorgeous. Her hair was tousled from our crawl through the passageway, but it remained shiny and smooth. Some had fallen into her face, I brushed it away but my hand lingered on her cheek. Her whisper of '_Anywhere' _was suggestive in my mind, echoing still.

"But you…you aren't my lady," I said, confused at what she was saying.

She smiled slightly, "Says only you." Her arms pulled my neck downward so that she was suddenly kissing me. I didn't want her to deny me, yet, she was the one who was kissing me, and so she must have had feelings for me too. It was as if though a weight had been lifted from my chest. I deepened our kiss, pulled her closer to me if that was spatially possible. She was mine then, and I was flying. Together we maneuvered ourselves so that she was leaning into her tower of mattresses for support of my intense kissing. It became very warm around us. I moved my kisses down to her neck to her collarbone so she could cool her face. She was breathing heavily. We were both totally and utterly euphoric, she grabbed my face and began to kiss me again. I was getting way too warm from the activity. My fingers found their way to my tunic's buttons and hastily unfastened them. I threw it onto the floor, leaving me in the thin white shirt.

SåskÏa pulled away and yawned, "I think I shall retire."

I wilted, slightly annoyed at her decision to sleep then of all times.

She went behind her dressing screen, and threw off her feathery gown, only to come out in her nightdress. It was too dark to see the delights I had witnessed that morning. She started to climb the ladder, and halfway up blew me a kiss. I smiled, and took leave, but not before I whispered, "Sweet Dreams, my lady."


	22. XX

A/N – Oh my, this chapter is long! It's the last one by Kellin though and really exciting! So if you like to read, it should be fun : )

My sleep was a long one. I did not wake until well into the afternoon. My heart danced as soon as I remembered kissing SåskÏa. I dressed and went to her room to see if she was awake. She wasn't in her room.

I casually walked the corridor, looking for any signs of her. I would make her my bride someday, of that I was sure. Darius had yet to wed and I would have to settle for a long engagement until he decided to marry. SåskÏa could live at the palace until we were married. I would have her close by and we could ride stair banisters to our hearts content. Elle and Mother would adore her, for she had a fiery spirit like they did.

I didn't consider SåskÏa's feelings about going back to Jarvana. The Kyrrian army would have to travel along way to help her regain her throne. She would be a princess if she would have me, but she was rightfully a queen of her own country.

I saw Gerard in the foyer as I descended the staircase. I noticed that many guests were still in the ballroom, eating the leftovers from Mandy's grand buffet.

"Gerard, why haven't the guests gone home yet?"

"We are snowed in, my liege. An awful blizzard had come upon us last night." He was pacing in a fretting manner. "It should be melted enough by tomorrow evening. Sire, something worse has happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Lady Evangela came to collect her jewels and they were not in the safe as I had put them," he shook his head.

"Have you found them? Did someone take them?" I was alarmed that someone could break into the small safe. Fortunately the treasury was guarded and had many locks, so I needn't worry about that.

"No. Not yet. Knights are questioning guests and servants have been told to search in every room," he explained.

It was terrible. Now it looked as though the Kyrrian royal family couldn't keep valuables safe! Next people would think we were incapable of taking care of a country. I was a bad charge of keep.

I spotted Lady Evangela and she was sobbing, with Jernigan holding her arm for comfort.

"There you are, your highness!" Jernigan breathed in sharply, "The lady is _very_ upset that her jewels are missing."

"Gerard are you sure you locked the safe after you put them in?" I asked.

"I'm sure. I might have been a little rosy but I do remember," he looked so distraught.

"Sire, there is a thief in our midst. This shall not go unpunished. Anyone who steals from the castle will be imprisoned, no matter who they are," Jernigan exclaimed. He put an emphasis on '_no matter who they are.' _ It made me think deeper about the situation.

"What if Hattie did it?" I asked.

"This is no time to joke! Hattie would _never_ steal from her own family," Jernigan barked.

"She tries stealing any shiny object she come across. No matter, I shall ask the knights what they have learned," I sighed.

Alfonso said many guests had ended up passing out from sleep or alcohol. None of them entered the room the safe was in.

I was in a frenzy all day, trying to discern who was a thief. I took a look at the safe. It was opened, no force of entry. I didn't know of any knight or servant who knew that Evangela had brought jewels with her to keep safe.

I saw Mandy at one point and asked her if she knew anything. She said the whole thing smelled rotten but I think that was because the garbage from the big meal hadn't been taken out yet and it was beginning to smell bad.

Half past four, I heard shouts echoing down the second story corridors. I ran to the noises and found they were coming from SåskÏa's room. Ferdinand and Alfonso were restraining her. They looked regretful at their actions but were following orders. I wondered to why she wasn't causing them to be ill.

"Kellin!" she cried and tried to run towards me but the knights wouldn't let her go.

"What is the meaning of this?" I demanded angrily.

Jernigan, who was also in the room turned around and showed me what he was holding. A leather pouch. The same one Evangela had extracted from her bosom.

"Look at what was discovered under her mattress," he poured the jewels out into his hand.

"I didn't steal anything!" SåskÏa screamed.

Evangela slapped her hard across her cheek, "Refrain from speaking you thieving wench!"

"Stop! All of you! Now calm down and explain to me what has happened," I stepped threateningly toward Evangela and Jernigan. Gerard was standing by himself, wringing his hands in worry.

"The maid found them not a few minutes ago. The pouch was stashed under the bottom mattress. So not only is your maiden a little liar, but a thief as well," Jernigan sneered.

I looked to SåskÏa. She had wide, scared eyes that were pleading for me to not believe him. Why would my councilor lie to me? I was prince, and there was a severe penalty for lying to royalty.

"How is she a liar?" I asked.

"She denies stealing when evidence is right in front of us. She was caught sneaking around this morning and was apprehended which only further proves her guilt," Jernigan said. "She also lied about her origins as princess of Jarvana."

"But what about her bruises? She must be a princess because of her soft skin. She passed the test!" I argued.

"She must have known after she hid the jewels. The pea was under the same mattress so she inflicted bruises on herself to trick us. She the liar of all liars," Jernigan shook his head sympathetically. He knew how fond of her I was.

"How do you know?" I knotted my brows together, confused. I was starting to hurt on the insides after hearing him say she had lied about who she was. I trusted her with all that I had. The concept of it all being an illusion stung me.

"I contacted the ruler of Jarvana. Yes, his name is Arsun but he told me that the little siren was a mad slave girl who escaped the kingdom. He is rightful King by conquest, according to the country's laws. He told us to hold her until he arrives to deal with her." Jernigan explained.

"Liar! LIAR!" SåskÏa screamed and tried struggling out of the knight's grasps.

My stomach fell; my heart was broken into pieces. Only hours before I was sure I was to marry the girl. Now she was nothing more than a troublesome peasant from a distant land who had lied to me and won my heart.

"Then take her away," I said quietly, looking at the ground.

She screamed once more, cursing in three different languages as Alfonso and Ferdinand drug her away. I could only watch as she twisted wildly and shrieked. Before she was gone though, she called out my name once more in a voice full of sorrow and tears flowing down her cheeks.

A while later I was in the study. I refused to talk to anyone. I rejected any requests by people to have an audience with me. I didn't know what to. I was completely lost. I wasn't Darius. He could handle situations but I could not.

"Prince Kellin, I know you have been deceived but you must be hospitable. There are many nobles that can't leave the castle until the snow and ice thaw. They need comforting and hope from their leader.

I glared at Jernigan, "What leader!?"

He stepped back at my outburst. I did not feel like being a polite prince any longer. "Father and Darius are the leaders of this place, not I! Don't lay the responsibility on me! Do not!"

"But…but sire," He was at a loss for words.

"I am but the middle child, I have no responsibility. If you want those who are responsible tell them to _stay home_! I am not to be king so leave me be!"

Jernigan bowed quickly and left. I smirked to myself. I had finally scared my daunting councilor off. It wasn't fair of him to expect me to be in a hospitable mood, not so quickly after I had found out I had been lied to by the girl of my dreams. If anyone needed comfort or hope, it was I.

I wanted to hate her. I sat all evening in the lounge and did not show for supper. I was thinking. Everything she ever told me was a lie. No wonder her skin was so tough, and she could make her own dresses, she was a slave. I guess Jarvanian law didn't outlaw the ownership of people like Kyrria did. She was a beautiful slave however, and must have been Arsun's because she knew intimate details about him and of the palace.

Slave or princess, I shuddered at what cruelty Arsun would bestow upon her once he reclaimed her. Or even, what caused her to run away from his authority in the first place.

The more I thought the more some things didn't make sense. Why was she so confidant? I would expect a slave girl to be timid. SåskÏa had always spoken in a highbred manner. She also knew how ballroom dance. I doubt that they let slaves learn such things. Perhaps she was just a good mimic. Working in a palace, a slave had many opportunities to see how nobles acted.

What didn't make the most sense was how Gerard's letter from the Ayorthan court matched SåskÏa's story of Arsun's conquest of the throne. Jernigan had stated that it was lawful for a man to become king in Jarvana by conquest. Either way, nothing proved that SåskÏa was a real princess. She never used her ability to cause those touching her any sickness. That afternoon was more than a chance to do it if she really could.

The doors were thrown open and in marched my fairy godmother. I looked up startled.

"You need to start eating," she scowled. She must have noticed my absence at supper.

"I'm not hungry," I looked away.

"I heard what happened to your lady…"

"She is _NOT_ my lady!" I shouted.

Mandy slapped me, she was the only person in the kingdom that could without penalty.

"Kellin, you are acting like a spoiled child! You love that girl; I see it in your eyes. And she loves you back! You're not going to get better about her until she's out of that dungeon," she chided.

"But Mandy, she lied to me!" I argued.

"Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. You won't know until you ask her. All the information you know has been fed to you by your royal councilor who, I might add, has wanted that girl gone since she arrived and has the power to twist the truth," Mandy huffed. She was annoyed about the whole ordeal.

"You really think he would go that far?" I rubbed my cheek. I wouldn't imagine Jernigan having the stones to pull off such a feat.

"I'm not saying he did or didn't. All I'm saying is that you should talk to her," she turned to leave. "Oh, and love, try to get something to eat."

It was true that Jernigan had wanted SåskÏa to go away. He always regarded her as a pest when he talked. I didn't know how I would react when I saw her in chains. Would I still be angry or would I take pity and demand she be released from them?

I never liked the dungeons. They were a sad place. We weren't allowed in them as children but of course, we were spoiled and snuck in anyway. We saw miscreants who had no teeth, long hair, and dirt all over them. Elle started crying once because a man stuck out his arm and tried grabbing her, she was only ten years old. After that incident, Elle never went to the dungeons again.

I stepped lightly into the mossy smelling underbelly of the castle. It was a prison that no one could escape from if they tried. It was late by the time I came upon her cell. A regular guard was on duty at the front and he followed me in to tell me where she was. He was supposed to keep an eye on the prisoners.

SåskÏa was curled into a ball on the ground, shivering in her sleep. A long chain in the wall led to a shackle on one of her ankles. My heart caught in my throat at the sight of her. She looked so helpless and cold.

"Fetch a blanket," I commanded at once.

"Beg pardon but we have none down in this part," the guard bowed.

"Very well, I shall be back shortly," I hurried off back to my room. I had three feathered coverlets and six goose feathered pillows on my bed. I grabbed one blanket, put a pillow in the middle of it and bundled it up. I threw it over my shoulder and was off back to the dungeons.

"Open the cell."

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"Do not defy my command, just open the cell," I stared coldly at him.

I unwrapped the pillow and set the blanket over her body lightly so not to wake her. I tried lifting her head to place the pillow under it but I wasn't so fortunate to keep her asleep.

Her hand lashed out and grabbed my arm in a tight grip. I was surprised by her grip.

She opened her eyes and saw it was I. She sat up slowly and looked around. She saw the blanket and the pillow.

"Kellin, what are you doing?" she asked, more suspicious than grateful but very sleepily.

"This cell is too cold for you. You'll freeze overnight, so I gave you a blanket," I explained and her grip loosened.

"I wouldn't worry about me, because I'll be gone within the next two days," she said it so acceptingly. It was so out of character from what I had seen of her. I was more than alarmed at her comment.

"I promise no one will hurt you," I swore.

"Why do you care? I thought you fell for the rubbish your councilor told you. You told them to take me away. What game are you playing at?" she frowned and rolled over so she didn't have to look at me.

"I'm here to hear your side of the story," I said.

"I already told you. Arsun killed my father and mother and I fled here for help. He is not rightful king. I wish pompous ass could read Jarvanian so he could understand the scroll that holds the laws. You cannot become king by conquest, but however one can become a forced ruler through an uprising. None of it matters though, he is coming. He is coming to take me," she said. Her voice wavered and I could tell she was crying.

"How did those jewels get under your mattress?"

"I do not know but I think Pompous ass told someone to put them there after I heard that Arsun was coming for me," she sniffled and wrapped the blanket closer around her.

I was so confused.

"SåskÏa, I want you to tell me everything you did today after you woke up," I said ready to hear her. So I listened her carefully.

She said she woke up earlier than most because she was hungry and had not eaten at the ball. She was going to the kitchens when she heard voices in the study. Jernigan was speaking to Gerard, Hattie, and Evangela about a letter he had received in reply from Arsun. He did contact Arsun to inquire about SåskÏa and Arsun had sent his response. SåskÏa did not know what was said but only heard that Arsun was coming for her. She then snuck away from the study but bumped into a guard and yelped in surprise, which caught the attention of the royal councilors and their guests. Jernigan asked her if she had been eavesdropping on private matters. She told him she was only on her way to find food. In the kitchen, she found a leftover loaf of currant bread and ate three pieces. She then heard commotion from the main hall and discovered that Lady Evangela's jewels had gone missing. She went around then, aiding the knights in asking guests of their wherabouts. Before she knew it, her two friends Alfonso and Ferdinand had took a hold of her to bring her before Jernigan who claimed a maid to have found the lost jewels under SåskÏa's mattress. She didn't cause the knights to fall ill because they didn't deserve it.

"I have a theory," she said cuddling up next to me, sensing I wasn't angry with her anymore. "Arsun lied in his letter no doubt. He wants me back. Either to kill me for the trouble I've caused or to replace my mother in the harem. I think I'd rather be dead than be in his harem again."

She sighed and took in a breath of air, "Anyway, pompous ass will believe Arsun because he wants me gone and will look for any excuse to take me off your hands. The trouble with that though is he knows that you don't want me taken off your hands, especially over to an evil man. So pompous ass had to find a way to make you want me to be gone as well. This chance came when he asked me if I was eavesdropping."

"How?"

"Well, I'll tell you. First of all pompous ass thinks I'm a horrible liar, so naturally he assumed I was lying when I denied any eavesdropping. I was lying a little. It was a little lie, but I have never lied to you. Since he assumed I lied and had been listening he decided to get me into trouble. I think he asked the Lady Evangela to pretend her jewels were stolen while he handed them off to a servant to hide under my bed when I was helping the knights. Therefore he could reveal that he had contacted Arsun without you getting angry because he had you angry at me."

I was awed at all she had theorized. Her theory had no flaws. I came to realize that Jernigan's story was inconsistent. SåskÏa did not know of any jewels in the safe, and she didn't know where the key to it was. I could have kicked myself. Only the royal councilors and the royal family knew where the key was and the safe had no sign of forced entry. Gerard looked so worried all along too. He must have known, and not liked being a part of Jernigan's scheme. She had never lied to me. I was suddenly very angry at being tricked into hating her. I was even angrier that they caused my heart to break under false pretenses.

"Come with me, quickly." I said.

"Where to?" She grabbed my hand and I helped her stand.

"Just follow,"

"I can't let her leave here," the guard spoke as we began to leave.

"I order you to her come with me. I have business to attend to," I frowned. He bowed and let us go. Being a prince did have perks.

I led her to a room on the second story. It was Gerard's living chamber. I knocked on the door loudly. He must have been asleep.

"Stay out of sight until its right" I whispered to her. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, backing into a shadow.

"Gerard," I spoke sternly at the door. I heard a mumble and then the lock click. He opened the door and I pushed him forward, closing the door with my foot. He was in a nightcap and sleeping garment.

"Oh dear. What is wrong your majesty!?" he was alarmed at the force I used.

"Tell me, old friend, would you ever lie to your prince?" I growled in question.

"Oh never! Never!" he answered.

"Did Jernigan have something to do with Evangela's missing jewelry in SåskÏa's bed?" I was blocking him from running to the door if he tried.

"Why are you asking such a question?" he cried.

SåskÏa opened the door then. She stepped in quietly and Gerard's eyes widened.

"I ask because I can't let her go, not without knowing the truth. I think she is innocent of her crime and you would tell me if it was true because you have claimed that you do not lie to your prince," I growled.

He sighed sadly, and then looked at SåskÏa. "I am sorry dear girl of your misfortunes."

I grabbed Gerard by the collar of his sleepwear, angry enough to beat him, "So you do know? How could you let Jernigan do this? How could you!? How could you sit there and watch my heart break as he accused her most convincingly?"

"He showed us the letter from Arsun. Arsun said she was a siren and a slave. I thought she had lied to you, Sire." He was most sincere in his explanation but I did not let him go. "I did not want my prince in love with a mad, lying, slave! Forgive me but Jernigan said that the only way you would stop liking her was if it had looked like she had stolen Lady Evangela's jewels. He feared that even if the girl failed the mattress test, you would still be taken with her. Lady Evangela agreed that a lying peasant wasn't fit to hold the attentions of the prince so she agreed to act as if though her jewels were stolen. Jernigan opened the safe and instructed a maid to hide them under the girl's mattresses and then found knights as innocent witnesses to deter anyone who had suspicions of his actions. Forgive me, I beg you!" he was on his knees and crying. Gerard was a good man. Gerard had told the truth.

I kneeled down and said, "You will tell no one of this. Act as though she is still a liar and a slave and don't let me suspect otherwise. I thank you, good councilor, for the truth."

I grabbed SåskÏa's arm and left the room.

"Now where are we going?"

"Back to the dungeon," I said.

"But Arsun will take me!"

"Not while I still breathe. I have a plan though. Just act normally," I placed her back into her shackle, and had the guard lock it.

She kissed me, which wasn't normal.

"Don't leave me alone," she begged, muffling her face into my shirt.

I looked at the guard. He was tired and kind of annoyed at all the locking and unlocking he had to do.

"Fine," I breathed. I instructed the guard not to tell anybody what he saw. I even paid him five gold KJs to secure his silence. I then told him to wake me at five o' clock later that morning.

"Your majesty? Your majesty, it is five o' clock," I heard a whispering voice. It seemed I had only been asleep five minutes. I opened my eyes to see the night guard leaning over me.

I yawned and nodded. I had SåskÏa wrapped up next to me under my blanket. It was amazing how warm it had kept us. Our heads were sharing the pillow that I had brought. My back was stiff and my clothes were wrinkled.

I stood up and took a look at her. She had to be an exotic form of an angel. I grabbed the blanket and pillow, kissed her and went to my own room.

My plan was to capture Arsun. I would punish Jernigan also for being such a knave. Penalties were harsh for those who lied to royalty. I planned to have Jernigan dismissed as high royal councilor and then stripped of his nobility. He couldn't suspect I knew the truth however, or else he would weasel his way out.

A maid woke me an hour later for breakfast. I sat at the table with my councilors. Gerard was doing a good job of acting like I had never visited him last night and almost beat him silly. I pretended I was still angry.

The trapped guests were still eating leftovers from the Ball's buffet. If I were a regular person that didn't know Mandy was fey, I would have suspected Mandy magical anyway for making so much delicious food.

I felt a nerve twist in my mind. I realized that I did indeed miss my family. Darius would have loved to be at the ball. He loved the wine and the dancing, and the socializing. He would have been delighted to be there for first snow. I didn't like snow, for it was too cold. If Elle were there, she'd be comforting the guests. She would entertain them with stories and make them laugh. My Father would be commanding the knights to dig their way out so people could go home. He would be going insane to have so many guests here for such a long time. My mother would just laugh at it all, saying it was a matter of time until something unusual like such happened.

Auntie Hattie was unfortunately trapped with us too. I wonder if she would still love '_Jerni' _after I dismissed him? She would have no way to weasel into the castle afterwards.

"Why the long face Kellin? Still upset about that lying wench?" Hattie taunted. It took every fiber in me to throw my omelet into her rabbit-face.

"I miss my family," I told the truth. They all looked rather surprised. Of course if my family were there, I was sure things would have been handled differently.

I went through the day chatting with guests I had not had the chance to during the ball. They were happy to be trapped in the castle instead of their own homes, especially with all the food that didn't go bad after a day. I would be sure to hand their compliments to the chef and she would gladly receive them.

Farrah kept following me. She tried not to be obvious but I knew she was, with every flash of rose pink behind my back I spotted. I finally told her that Ferdinand wanted to talk to her and pointed her in his direction. Poor Ferdinand, I always shoved undesirable women on him. Well, he couldn't complain because Farrah and Evangela were actually very desirable but my heart already belonged to someone.

Mid-afternoon it was reported that enough snow had melted enough for the guests to return to their homes. Lady Fauna had a hard time prying Farrah away from Ferdinand's side. He looked like he was talked to death. As the guests emptied out, the servants replaced them, cleaning the mess from the ball.

"Farewell, Kellin. I won't forget this trip," Evangela kissed my cheek, kindly and departed.

"All is well again," Gerard smiled. I was very impressed at his acting skills. He damn well knew all was not well but he stuck to my orders of pretending to seem like it was.

I took a nap, since I hadn't slept very well the night before. I wanted to see how SåskÏa was faring in the dungeons, but that would have disrupted my plan. She stayed there for two days. On the third, at eleven o' clock in the morning a guard told me there was a man at the gate with an entourage.

I went to investigate. I could only imagine it was he who had come for SåskÏa. He was a tall, sly eyed, middle-aged Ayorthan. A false king.

"You're highness," He bowed and spoke in a deeper voice than my father.

I nodded.

"I wrote that I was coming. You have something of mine and I have come to reclaim it," he spoke. I wanted to kill him. He had on a secretive, smile that could have been mistaken for charming. He was wearing black leather all over, even leather gloves. I would imagine that such attire would leave him roasting in Jarvana's hot temperatures.

"Yes, I know. Follow me, Lord Arsun," I signaled. I made sure my knights were surrounding us the entire way through the castle.

"_King_, prince, I am _king_ of Jarvana," he corrected most arrogantly. I cursed myself for calling him 'lord', it could have led him to believe that I had trusted SåskÏa's story over his letter. He didn't take notice of my slip; probably assuming I was an uneducated prince.

Jernigan caught up to us and bowed, "We have kept her for you long, your majesty. Please take her, she has been nothing but trouble."

I found Arsun to always suck in a breath before he spoke. It made him sound like he was hissing, like a sleek snake. His voice was deep and sinister and sent chills through me when he replied, "But of course, and I will make sure little kÏa will be a bother to you no further."

We entered the dungeons. I led the way with Jernigan behind me. Arsun was following him with his agents, and my knights were surrounding all of us.

"Why must you have so many knights to accompany us?" Arsun asked, his eyes darting back and forth between my men.

"Just in case. She is very tricky and could escape. You're agents might not be fast enough to catch her, and after all she did escape your country. Who is to say she won't evade you again?"

He smirked, even though I had insulted him. Still, he was wary of my surrounding knights.

We reached SåskÏa's cell. She was asleep still. Arsun gazed upon her with an unsettling smile. It was not the smile of a man who had an escaped slave. No man would ever travel so far to reclaim one. SåskÏa was special. She was royalty.

"Wake up," he hissed and rattled the bars of the cell with his foot.

Her head jerked up, and her eyes were wide.

"No," she said in a gasp and then saw him, "NO!"

"Yes. YES! Did you miss me? I missed you, " he reached through the bars for her. She fell back to the farthest corner. She looked at me, and all I saw was raw fear in her expression. I realized that she couldn't cause him illness since he was wearing gloves. She had to make skin-to-skin contact to use her ability. She was terrified of him. I was terrified of what he would have done if I were to actually let him walk out of my castle with her.

"Let me in," Arsun demanded of the guard. The guard obeyed. I stepped forward but Gerard subtly motioned for me to stop. We had to let Arsun believe she had no one.

He reached for her and she had nowhere else to back into. He pulled her towards him and she looked away, tears silently sliding down her face. Her face was a bit dirty from being in the dungeon for a few days. I could see the tear trails had left a path down her cheeks that revealed cleaner skin.

He stroked her cheek and then grabbed her jaw, jerking it up so she had to look him in the eyes. "You're coming home."

"No," she said, but it was faint.

With a good amount of force he shoved her into the cell wall. My fists balled when I saw her fall. Blood appeared on her fore head. I glanced at Jernigan, hoping he felt bad for what he had done but he only smirked as he saw SåskÏa being beaten.

"You are nothing!" Arsun bellowed and grabbed her up by her hair, "and will come back to Jarvana with no complaints or else…" he leaned so close I had to strain to hear his next words, "_I will kill you_."

SåskÏa brought her leg up and kicked him in the neck. He let her go and she dashed out of the cell. Jernigan caught her and held her. Jernigan did not have gloves on though. Her eyes changed to solid black and Jernigan immediately let her go, pale as a ghost. He fell into Gerard who caught him. SåskÏa continued to flee but Alfonso caught her the second time. He was armed in chain mail so she couldn't make him ill.

Arsun recovered from her assault and turned around with a look of madness. He walked towards her with his sword drawn over his head, ready to spill her blood. When he was a few inches away from striking he stopped and looked down surprised.

SåskÏa withdrew a bloody blade from his abdomen. He opened his mouth but blood seeped out and we heard no words. His sword clattered to the ground and he fell as well. Dead.

"Arrest these men," I commanded my knights and motioned to Arsun's agents.

His men didn't have time to defend themselves and my knights had shoved them all into SåskÏa's cell as prisoners.

She dropped the knife and ran too me, crying once more. This time, the tears of relief after something terrifying happens.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I had left the knife with her the night we had slept in the dungeon. I had hidden it in the pillowcase so that the guard wouldn't know it was there. She hid it in her bodice when she discovered it. I let her have her revenge on the man that had killed all she loved.

She spat on Arsun's body before two knights drug him off.

"What of this cur?" Gerard asked, nodding down at Jernigan. He was shivering and sweating profusely.

"Let him be ill," I decided. The guards put Jernigan into the next cell with a bucket in case he started vomiting.

I let SåskÏa be taken away to be cleaned and dressed warmly.

"Many wrongs have been righted," I told Gerard.

"I know, I am glad for this family it is so," he smiled.

SåskÏa was returned to me later, sparkling. She had some bruises that weren't from our tunnel tussle, so I gently embraced her.

A week after Arsun's death, a commotion was heard at the front gate. I had been playing Chess with SåskÏa and she was winning so I was glad for an interruption. We ran to the entrance and saw what everyone was excited about.

Daruis had returned! I saw Aramon and a mysterious woman ride in behind him. I was first to run out and hug him in greeting.

"I'm glad you are home!" I said and meant it.

"How did you fare keeping the castle in order?" he asked, handing his horse, Jaxor, off to a stable attendant.

"It was interesting, much has happened," I sighed, and then I noticed something. Elle was not there. She had departed with Darius, but she had not returned. "Where is our sister?"

Darius's face fell, and so did my stomach. "Much has happened on my journey too, brother. We need to talk privately."

We closed the study off to everyone and he sat down. "She is not dead."

That made me feel much better, but it still worried me that she was out in the world somewhere, alone.

He told me of his journey. He had angered a dragon, given our sister to it so he could live. He got lost and then saved a maiden, the woman who rode in with him, from a mad sorcerer. Not only was I angry with him for losing Elle, but also for seeing big magic.

"We will get her back Kellin, I promise. I shall gather knights and whoever will fight. Aramon will join, and I hope you will too," he said to cool my nerves.

I would have to leave SåskÏa. I couldn't bring her into such danger. But my sister was at the mercy of a beast, and I had to fight for her.

"I will," I swallowed.

Darius patted me on the back and then told me he had a present for me. He took a big leather-bound book from his bag and said it was the sorcerer's book of magic. I was ecstatic! I eagerly opened it and found instructions for enchantments and spells. I could learn more about magic from this book than any other place in the kingdom. I thanked my brother over and over until he asked what I hade done in his absence.

I told him everything.

He thought it right, my punishment for Jernigan except the lingering illness triggered by SåskÏa. He wanted to be introduced to her. So they met. I was introduced to Odelia, the beautiful blonde woman that my brother rescued in Clyone. She was the woman that my brother claimed to be in love with. I believed him, for he looked at her the way I felt about SåskÏa.

Blaine had shown his face at the castle's doors upon hearing that my brother was back. He probably wanted to be the first to pay respects to my sister. When he learned of what had happened to he swore to help us fight.

We had a hundred and fifty men willing to reclaim my sister from the Dragon.

When I told Mandy the sad news, her face changed into an expression I had never seen. She seemed to stop breathing. Elle being prisoner to a dragon was upsetting enough but Mandy's real reason for concern was Dregat.

"Kellin, you must not, under any circumstance kill the dragon," she whispered.

"Why? It has taken her prisoner!" I shouted.

She shook her head. "There is bigger magic there. Older magic, and if the dragon dies, so will many others."

I understood that magic should not be tampered with, but Mandy's attitude whenever Dregat was mentioned made me suspicious.

"Does the dragon have something to do with Dregat's fall?"

She shook her head like she didn't want to talk about it any longer and quickly left.

I decided to find a place in the library for my new book. Because of all the recent events, I had not visited my favorite place for a while. I thought to stash it in the private section of the library, and when I reached it, someone else was there.

I was in mild shock; my older brother was in the library.

"Darius, what are you doing here?" I asked.

Looking for something it seemed, he had a large book that was covered in velvet, and his eyes searched over the pages. I came closer.

"Odelia was engaged to our great great great grandfather," Darius said, without looking up.

"How is that possible? He is dead and she is my age!" I was bewildered.

"I only told you a small fraction of my adventure when I said I had rescued her from a mad sorcerer. Odelia had been under a transfiguration spell for 150 years, she was forced to be a swan everyday until she consented to marry the mad sorcerer or until a man confessed his love to her. But yes, she was engaged to Lars. I'm trying to prove to her that he didn't stop loving her, that he was torn apart after he couldn't find her, for you see she was a swan and he did not know." Darius explained. I was suddenly jealous again, over him witnessing magic first-hand when he was in Clyone. His present made up for it though.

I looked over his shoulder; there were letters in the book, and pages of our great great great grandfather's journal.

Darius pointed to something on the page, a journal entry from long ago. It read:

_I cannot sleep. I cannot eat. All I can do is think about her. Where has she gone? Is she dead? My heart is broken, and will stay that way until I know what has happened to her. Elia, my love if you were here I would embrace you and would never, ever let you go again. If you were here, I would have us married right this second than to be without you for a second more. You would be my beautiful queen and the mother of my children; we would live our lives happily in Kyrria. But now that is all lost, all gone. I have returned from Clyone confused, melancholy, and with a head full of questions to which there are no answers. Someday though, if she should ever step foot in Kyrria again, I will go to her. No matter if I am already wed or not, I will tell her that I will and have always loved her. Farewell for now my sweet Elia, I shall never forget you._

_Lars. September 12, CCCCDXXXI_

I thought it was a sad essay. Darius carefully peeled it off the page.

"I must show this to Odelia," He stated and left. Of course he didn't put the book back. Lars had called her 'Elia', like the name scribed in the tunnel. Now that little mystery was solved. Odelia was the mysterious 'Elia'. I closed the book to place it back on the shelf, but a piece of paper slipped out. It had different handwriting than Lars. I was curious so I read it.

_August 8, CCCCDXXXI_

_My prince of princes,_

_Remember last summer at the Wine and Rose cotillion? We were dancing but grew weary so we had a rest in the indoor garden located on the south tower? I had taken my glass slippers off because my feet were sore from all the dancing. I hid them in the stone bench under a gardening apron so that no one would steal them, for they are rare and made by elves. Alas I forgot to take them back home with me. If you would, please retrieve them for me so that I may wear them to our wedding. _

_Love, _

_Elia._

This was the last letter Odelia had written to Lars when he was alive. It was an unusual sensation, learning about the past. As for her glass slippers, I knew nothing of those, whether Lars had found them or someone had come along and claimed them for their own. I slipped the letter back into my great great great grandfather's book of memoirs and put the book away. It was late. I put both books away. I bid sweet dreams to SåskÏa.

In the morning we would start our campaign to save Elle, we would start our journey to Dregat. Maybe there, I would find the answer to its demise.


	23. Elle

I wanted to scream, but something in me couldn't form the shriek, the noise, or the shout to obey my growing fear. It wasn't like any one could do anything to help me anyhow. I should have been screaming, I should have felt doomed. I was doomed. Yet, doom hadn't settled upon my mind yet.

My mind was busy reminiscing of all things. I used to wake up, screaming in fear from constant nightmares when I was younger. Nightmares with a dragon. It got so bad they had to call father in to settle me down most nights.

_"Princess, what nightmares do you see?" my father stroked my cheek, trying to calm me while I sat in his lap. I looked up at him, and as much as I loved him I could not tell him my nightmares. I felt as though I was betraying someone or something if I ever spoke of what I saw in those dreams. So I lied._

_"Ogres, father. They were going to eat me,"_

Since then, everyone in my family assumes that I'm terrified of Ogres. Let it be known that I am not. I can even speak the language of the ogres, and take pleasure in doing so.

The dragon in my dreams had never tried to eat me. I did not know what it wanted. The dreams stopped though as soon as I reached adolescence and ever since then, I have always felt as though a part of me were missing along with those once terrifying dreams.

The dragon from my dreams had a black hide, large talons, a big tail with spikes and the most astonishing silver eyes. It was fierce and beautiful.

It was the same dragon that I was staring at, in the castle Darius had left me in.

I was alone.

The dragon considered me, but after a few moments cleared the room to go somewhere else. I followed him, even though my body was screaming for me to run in the opposite direction. I never was one to listen to logic, even my own.

He was easy to follow because he made big sounds, talons scraping the stone floors, tail swishing wind. I followed cautiously, pondering why I was doing so.

I don't know how I knew it was a male dragon. I just knew there was a sense of masculinity about him, if that is possible.

There I was, Elle, princess of Kyrria following a dragon. I giggled ever so slightly at the absurdity of it. If any girls from court were in this predicament they would be screaming their silly heads off. Not that I disliked the maidens my age of court, they were just silly a lot of the times. Most of them would be scheming how to win Darius's heart, which, I found annoying. Plus, I never saw any of them worthy enough for Darius's attentions. Darius needed a maiden that was smart and playful, but most importantly, one that could always catch his attention.

While in my thoughts, I lost the dragon somewhere. How was that possible? Such a huge creature, easy to follow and I had lost it. Maybe I could pretend it was _my_ dragon. I doubted I could command it as a pet. I changed my mind and decided dragons were too unique to be pets, not to mention dangerous.

Since I had lost the dragon somewhere in the castle, I found a lounge chair in a different room and I immediately tried thinking of reasons that it wasn't so bad being trapped in a castle with a dragon.

One: It was a very interesting castle, perfect for adventures and exploring.

Two: I got to be in the company of a dragon without being eaten (or so Darius inferred)

Three: I wouldn't have to deal with silly court ladies anymore

Four: Lord Blaine wouldn't be trying to catch my attention. Ugh, thank goodness.

But then suddenly I thought of reasons why it was very bad to be trapped in a castle with a dragon.

One: The castle was scary, and it wasn't fun to adventure without Kellin or Darius around.

Two: The dragon could have changed its mind and eaten me.

Three: I had no one to talk to

Four: I would never find someone to love

Even worse, there was another reason and it outweighed any of my pros about being trapped in a castle with a dragon: I would never see my family again.

This brought tears to my eyes and I left the room. I walked quickly down the hall; thankfully I was dry again since the rain. Speaking of which, I heard no more thunder. Was there any decent room in the castle? Everything was rotten or broken. There was stale smell that reminded me of the upper rooms in the old castle when us children tried to find the passage under the moat to our own castle.

"_Stop crying child."_

It was a whisper, but it was a voice. A voice that belonged to nobody that I could see.

"Who is there? Is anyone else here?" I asked quietly.

"_There are many of us."_ Another whisper of a voice but it was different.

"Many of who?"

"_Advisors,"_ said the first one, the same that told me to stop crying.

"_Castle servants," _another one added.

_"Courtiers,"_ a different voice snapped.

"I cannot see you."

"_That is because we are ghosts of what once was." _

"What do I call you?"

"_I am Lexerous."_

_"I am Moline."_

_"I am Jargon."_

I could tell by the difference in their voices. Lexerous had a kind, concerned older man's voice. Moline was a sad and staunch lady's voice. Jargon sounded arrogant, but I didn't tell him that.

"My name is Elle. Are there anymore of you?"

"_Around," _was Jargon's reply.

"Is there anywhere I can sleep or eat? I do not know where everything in the castle is."

"_There is nothing left in the castle but memories and a selfish dragon,"_ Moline noted sourly. My face fell. Was I not to eat? Was I to sleep on the cold ground every night until I perished?

"_There is a way we can make you comfortable however,"_ Lexerous added kindly.

Suddenly there was a gust of air, but it was tingly, and went through me. I gasped in surprise and then, when I opened in my eyes; I must have been in an entirely different castle.

The room I was in was lavish, the windows were in tact, hung on them were beautiful velvet curtains. There were potted flowers along the hallway, and gold trim around the open doorways.

"Where am I?" I asked, amazed, not even comprehending how they had done it.

"The same castle, in our memories," I heard Lexerous behind me, I turned around and there they were! They had bodies! He was a handsome old man dressed like Gerard or Jernigan, our court counselors in Kyrria. Moline was middle-aged, she had curled brown hair and a mop hat on as a cleaner would. Jargon was dressed better, he must have been a courtier.

Beyond them was the castle, same room but it faded to its disheveled, real appearance.

"How are you doing this?" I asked.

"With what little magic that atrocious fairy left us!" Jargon snapped bitterly.

"Fairy?" Fairies could be atrocious? The castle cook, Mandy was a fairy and my own godmother; she was all but kind and gentle, plus the best cook in the world.

"Jargon, cease. We do not want to worry the child with happenings of the past. Come dear, you must be hungry," Lexerous led me to the kitchen.

It's hard to explain the sensation of being in their memory of the castle. Only a portion of where we were walking was transformed into the luxuriousness it had once been, while a few feet in each direction the castle was barren and dark like I had first seen it. Almost like the ghosts were torches and their memory only hit a part of the castle the way a torch's light would extend.

In the castle's kitchen there were more bodies. They would pause and look at me sadly or puzzled but continue walking in and out of the memory and fade away.

"Brunus, please prepare a dish for this sweet child," Lexerous approached a chef. He turned around and regarded me with surprise.

"Oh what a petite cherry! Of course m'dear what would you like to eat?" he became very jolly.

"Anything that you have, I've noticed you seem to be scarce of everything these days," I mused and looked behind him to where the memory faded out and cabinets with broken hinges and dusty china stood.

"Ah but in memory we have everything!" He journeyed over to where I had been staring and then they were transformed into mahogany carved shelves and cabinets with sparkling china.

I began to figure out that any of these castle ghosts could show me how the castle once was, all they had to do was show me willingly or else I would be stuck in the dank, degraded version and they would be invisible again.

I asked Brunus if I could dine with every ghost that night, or rather morning and eat hot cakes with strawberries.

"My cherry, to call all the ghosts in the castle would be a hard task," he laughed heartily but then frowned, "and not all of the ghosts are ones you would want to meet."

I opened my mouth to ask him what that was supposed to mean but he returned to his jolly speaking, "Of course I could prepare a stack of hot cakes with strawberries. I also could ask some of the ghosts if they would have the honor of dining with you."

"It's just I think I would want to know who everyone is," I shrugged.

"There are many of us," Lexerous noted.

"Well as many as possible,"

When Brunus gathered other cooks to start the meal, he suggested I take a look around the castle because it would take some time to prepare. I followed Moline as she went from room to room, putting more wood in the fireplaces.

Moline was bitter about something, well she was dead, but what had made her that way? I couldn't just ask her though.

"Mommy! Mommy!" I heard a high-pitched voice wail. I whirled around to see a small boy enter the memory of how the room was. He had to have been no older than eight.

"Oh what now?" Moline rolled her eyes.

"Beatrix yelled at me again!"

"Pray tell you were not playing in her clean laundry,"

When he said nothing else Moline smirked, "You shall not get any sympathy from me young man."

"But Mommy!"

"Not a word. Go do something productive like sweep the stairs,"

In response, he bit his lip in a pout. He then, suddenly noticed me. His eyes grew wide and he whispered, "Mommy, who is she?"

"That is Miss Elle. Do not pull any of your pranks on her you hear? She is a guest in the castle," Moline started clearing the ashes out from the fireplace.

He walked up to me cautiously.

"Hello," I spoke.

"Hello," he greeted apprehensively.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Dylin,"

"Would you like to dine with us at breakfast, Dylin?"

Moline mumbled something under her breath about 'trouble.'

His eyes lit up, "Really? I can? YES!" he whooped.

I laughed at his eagerness.

"You're a nice lady, Miss Elle," he grinned.

Moline sighed as she put new wood on the fireplace. "Why don't you show Miss Elle around the castle Dylin?"

He grabbed my hand to lead me away in agreement. I was careful to observe how everything once was, because it faded into it's broken, moldy state as soon as Dylin and I passed.

"How many ghosts are there?" I asked.

"There are tons. Hundreds even. I don't know where they all are though," he walked, swinging his arms back and forth, not concerned about ghosts. He was one.

"Why is everyone a ghost?"

He stopped to think about it. "We died…sort of."

"All of you?"

"Yup, except the dragon,"

"Did he kill all of you?" I asked, fearing the boy would say 'yes'.

Dylin laughed. "No, no…the dragon just keeps to his lair mostly. I don't think we're all the way dead yet. We are all still here aren't we? I suppose it is all the fairy's fault."


	24. XXI

I stopped walking. The ghost had mentioned the 'fairy' earlier but said nothing more about it. "What fairy?"

"I don't really remember. It was so long ago, but the older ghosts might remember. They don't like to talk about it though."

I found the way Dylin talked, deeply cryptic and yet very blunt. That was the gift and curse of being so young.

"This is the ballroom," Dylin said as he pushed open huge double doors. The inside was dim, but where Dylin stood I saw polished floor tile. I followed him around the ballroom and found that it had once been a scene of grandeur. Red velvet curtains had hung in the towering glass windows, the chandeliers were made of polished crystal.

"This castle was beautiful," I said in awe, always saddened when Dylin moved ahead and it reverted to the decrepit state.

"It was," he shrugged, with no trace of loss in his voice.

"I think breakfast would be ready by now," I coughed.

Dylin forgot about whatever he was in the middle of saying and whooped joyously. "Yes! I love breakfast."

I laughed and he grabbed my hand as we skipped happily back toward the kitchens. It was relieving to have cheer in what seemed a perpetually cheerless place. Dylin led me to what was a grand dining room, but as soon as other ghosts appeared, the room was wholly bathed in the grandness it once was.

"Have a seat, darling," I heard Brunus from behind me. He pulled out a large chair and I sat the head of the long dining table. Dylin scrambled into the chair on my

immediate right. Brunus clapped his hands and a line of waiters brought out silver platter upon silver platter of food. The smell of the food alone was enough to remind my hungry tummy how ravenous I was. One of the waiters removed a lid off a platter and scooped out scrambled eggs to fill half my plate. Hotcakes with syrup, butter, and topped with strawberries were added. The people—or what had once been people were also sitting at the table and gathering food on their plates.

_Do ghosts eat_? I wondered as I popped a strawberry in mouth, savoring the sweetness.

Lexerous, and Jargon appeared next to me. Jargon threw a curse at Dylin and ushered him out of the seat on my right. Dylin went but not without whining about Jargon being 'unfair'.

"Is it to your liking?" Lexerous asked kindly.

"Very delicious, Lord Brunus has my appetite at his command," I smiled and looked at the castle cook. I would daresay he could give Mandy a run of skill in the kitchen.

"I'm very pleased," Lexerous inclined his head. Then he straightened up and commanded the attention of all the ghosts at the long table. "Fellow countrymen, I present to you the Lady Elle—,"

"Oh, it's actually _Eleanor_!" I interrupted and felt my cheeks turn red. It was odd having been presented by my nickname when it was always by my full name. With all the '_Eleanors' _in my family, it was bound to get confusing. My mother was Ella, and I was Elle.

"_Sorry_," I mumbled, covering my face when all the ghosts regarded me with blank stares.

"Lady Eleanor, very well. As I was saying—she is a guest in our castle and I expect for all of you to be courteous and offer any aid she requires. Please pass word to any who are not present. Now, by her request she wanted to dine with you, so you have her to thank for this lovely breakfast courtesy of Brunus."

Lexerous and Jargon then occupied the seats next to me and filled their own plates with food.

"So where were you from dear?" Jargon asked to my right. I found the way he talked a bit snide—saying 'were' like I was never to go back. My throat tightened though when I realized, if Darius failed to rescue me then I really was _never_ going to see Kyrria again.

"Kyrria, I was from Kyrria…"I said and willed not to spill any tears at the thought of home.

"What did you do there?"

_What does he mean by that? I was a daughter, a sister, a princess—_I finally realized they had no idea I was a princess. I could have been a common milkmaid to them for all they knew. And I don't know why I said what I did but I said it, "I was a cook's helper." I thought it was convincing enough. The rain and mud had ruined my dress to the point it didn't look highbred. I was more than a little dirty from being outside all night. Darius really should have acquired better navigation skills before we set off.

"How does a cook's helper find her way to Dregat?" Jargon continued to question.

I had to pause and think of a tale to tell. I am not a liar by any means but being a prisoner in another land made me rethink of how honest I was to be with complete strangers—ghosts no less.

"I was traveling with my brother. We were going Clyone to find work." After my lie was spoken I braced myself to be corrected, as Clyone had been an abandoned country for the past 500 years. To my surprise Lexerous nodded and accepted the lie, "Clyone is a fair country, much warmer than Kyrria."

"You've been to Kyrria?" I asked.

"Long ago in my youth—I was there on a diplomatic mission—King Rovan was very hospitable but alas in was winter and he was busy keeping Ayortha's forces at bay."

His response sent my head into a spin of confusion—King Rovan? I had paid astute attention to all my history lessons and had never even heard of a _King Rovan_ much less a war with Ayortha. As far as I knew Ayortha and Kyrria had always been allies.

Just how long had they been ghosts? Long enough to know a history of my country I did not, and long enough to think Clyone was still an organized country. I didn't bother voicing my concern to the ghost advisor, and continued to eat my breakfast. The other ghosts began to talk to me as well. They had mostly been courtiers or higher-ranking employees in the palace, and I could tell by the manner they held themselves.

When they were done conversing or eating they disappeared one by one. The room gradually transformed from its luxuriousness to it's ancient, broken state as they left. Then it was only Lexerous, Jargon, little Dylin, and I.

I couldn't help but to yawn, after all, I was tired and hadn't gotten any rest between the storm, the dragon, and the imprisonment. Lexerous noted my exhaustion and commanded Dylin to lead me to my room. I feared I was to sleep in a rotten bed with a dank floor because of all the decay I had witnessed.

Dylin led me to the second floor, on the left wing and we stood in front of double doors. I braced myself as he pushed one open but to my surprise the room was untouched by the rot.

There were no other ghosts besides Dylin but I doubted he was big enough to have his memory expand to the whole room. He also surely wouldn't stay with me all night to make sure the bed was lavish and comfortable.

"Why is it like this?"

"Permnet memory," he said and turned down my covers.

"Beg pardon?"

His little face twisted into concentration as he tried to say it again, "Permament …perma_nent _memory."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. Some things here…they aren't bad, like this room."

The bed was bigger than the one my parents slept in, the covers were thick and the pillows were perfectly fluffed. It looked so inviting.

"It was the prince's room," Dylin added but that caught my interest more than the will to sleep.

"Where is he?"

He shrugged, "Gone."

I bit my lip and Dylin did a quick little bow before leaving. The room stayed lavish nonetheless. I removed my dirty dress and crawled under the covers in my undergarments only. Thoughts of my family crept into my mind. They would be devastated to learn of my predicament and I felt horribly for mother and father for they wouldn't even know for another month—right now they were probably sleeping soundly somewhere near the southern sea in Ayortha. A tear rolled down my cheek and I wiped it away. The truth was that I was a prisoner—and there was still a dragon somewhere to deal with.

* * *

A/N: Sorry to say it's been forever and a day since this was updated. I wandered off into another fandom but I'm back for a bit--hopefully enough to finish this story.


	25. XXII

_I was home. An overwhelming feeling of joy overtook me and I began to cry as I ran through the corridors of my castle. I took in all the familiar sights of home—the grand staircase, the study, the receiving parlor—I wanted to find my family, to tell them of the horrifying dream I had involving the broken-down castle with the black dragon. I wanted to embrace my brothers and tell them I loved them no matter how bothersome they were._

_My castle was empty though. No servants, no advisors, no courtiers, and no family. I was alone. I reached the throne room and there lay the creature that I had dreamed about when I was a child. I realized then, it was not real but yet another dream._

"_Why?" I asked quietly, finally addressing him who never spoke to me. Why was he keeping me? Why was I dreaming of him again? Why was I alone to face him?_

_The silver eyes narrowed and his head tilted, then I heard the answer of his voice in my head, a voice I had never heard before, "I need you." _

My eyes popped open, apparently my body was done with sleeping. For a moment my mind was jumbled, trying to discern where I truly was. Staring at a room that was not mine brought heaviness to my heart—I was still there. The bed had proved its worth as my entire body felt light and rested from the trials of the day before. Daylight poured in from the window, and it was high—nearly past noon. I rubbed my eye, and threw back the covers.

What was I to do? My dress was ruined—muddy, torn, dusty—and I did not want to wear it again. It was chilly in the room as it was mid October in the north, in _Dregat_. Pulling a thick blanket off the bed, I wrapped it around my body and over my shoulders to cover my undergarments and rid me of my shivering.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, more shivers ran up my spine—but not from the cold. The hallway was like the rest of the castle, decayed and abandoned. Dirt and dust licked at my toes while pieces of unidentifiable debris littered the floor. I wondered further about what Dylin had said about the bedroom being a _permanent memory_. Were there any other places in this castle that held that magic?

"Hello?" I called, to see if any of the ghosts were near.

"Miss Elle!" I heard a squeal from nothing but the air and Dylin apparated, running down the corridor towards me bringing along with him the transformation of the corridor to what it once was. It was quite a sight to experience and made my hair stand on edge.

"I was wondering if there were any extra ladies' garments I could wear?"

"I don't know anything about lady clothes—but I'll get Cosetta for you, she's the seamstress's apprentice," Dylin turned around focused down the corridor, "Cosseeetttaaaa!"

His voice tumbled in an echo down the corridor, reminding me how empty it was—so void of life.

The end of the corridor was decayed since Dylin was a small ghost and his memory only extended for a few feet in every direction around us. However, the end of the hall was added in memory as a young woman maybe a few years older than I appeared and advanced.

She stopped in front of us, "What?"

"This is Miss Elle, she wants to know about clothes," Dylin bowed at Cosetta and introduced me.

"Ah yes, the _living_ lass," Cosetta looked me over and I thought I sensed a slight jealousy.

She ushered me back into the bedroom and closed the door on Dylin, causing him to protest with "You're mean!"

"Be gone child, lady clothes are of no interest to you," she retorted. She spun around and withdrew a measuring string from her pocket, "If I am to make you a dress I shall need your measurements."

I had done this before many times, so I immediately stuck my arms out and let her go to work. The blanket dropped to the floor and I was chilly once more.

"I didn't see you at breakfast," I said, to initiate conversation.

"Of course not, it was mostly the higher servants and courtiers who were invited," Cosetta sniffed, "Not that you would have known."

I had though.

"You sound awfully bitter," I noted.

She looked up from measuring my waist and frowned, "There's a lot to be bitter about."

For a moment, I had forgotten that they were all no longer living. I swallowed, but found my voice, "How did it come to be?"

She shrugged a shoulder, "There are rumors of how it happened but no one is certain. I know that I was just about to sleep one winter's night when a horrible chill swept through me, then…nothing more," Cosetta seemed to stare into nothing, unless she was pulling from a memory so deep within her she was focusing on that. "Suddenly, I was here again but I saw my body. I saw everyone's bodies. I saw a dragon. It has been this way for so long."

She lifted off her knees and started forward looking to the grand windows of the bedroom. Her stare remained focused from within though. "I've seen this castle slowly rot into this wretched state and relish walking through my memories of it—returning it to what it once was."

I felt a sadness grow within me for all those who had died, "How did the dragon come to be?"

She whirled around, "I can't say. He hadn't been there before, and I never saw him arrive. He just appeared. They say a fairy was at fault."

Yes, I knew that too.

She was done measuring me and after convincing her of the newest fashions, she left, assuring she would have me a garment by the next morning. I hated to wander about in my undergarments, even though there were only ghosts, a dragon, and no proper people about to see. The castle was gloomy, even in the daylight—feeling so extraordinarily haunted. I could see the perpetual dust motes float in and out of the light penetrating through the windows. I walked up and down the large hallways and tried opening doors. If the door opened I would pop my head inside to see what was behind it. Most were rooms of no accord—probably had been the chambers of the live-in courtiers.

No ghosts made themselves known during my wanderings, which made me wonder if they were silently watching what I would do, or perhaps they were just not there entirely.

When I ascended the grand staircase to the third story, it was entirely new, as Dylin had never gotten the chance to show me that early morning. The doors were wider, which meant the rooms were greater in size.

I was about to pull open one of the double doors while biting the inside of my cheek in burning curiosity.

A hand landed on my wrist. I screamed and jumped away, giving my wrist a vicious tug.

"What are you _doing_?" Jargon's form appeared from the air and he demanded to know.

"I'm exploring the castle," I frowned.

"There's no time for that. Brunus wants you in the kitchen," he once again grabbed my wrist and tried tugging me along, "And you might want to put on some decent clothes."

A deep blush rose to my cheeks and I dug my heels into the dusty marbled floor stubbornly. Jargon twisted around with narrowed eyes, searching me for something. "Be careful not to wear out your welcome."

"_Welcome_!?" I cried with distaste. I gave another tug and was out of his grasp again, "I am a prisoner—"

Two of his lavishly ringed fingers shushed my lips, "You are a prisoner but we haven't yet treated you as one—you have our welcome—well _most_ of us anyway."

I clenched my jaw and refrained from cursing him in Ogrese. If I was as good at the language as mother, perhaps I could have convinced them all to just let me go. I remember the exact moment I wanted to know how to speak the language—I was six years old and it was because of one of mother's stories.

"_I was alone with eight ogres, all who I had convinced to sleep, but my curse wouldn't let me leave them. SEEf had told me to stay."_

_I was engaged in mother's bedtime story, my eyes wide, fearing for her… "Mommy, but mommy! How did you escape them!?"_

_My mother gave her secretive smile as she pulled my covers to my chin. "Don't fret darling, your father arrived with his knights and he told me I could leave. I was finally able to go to the giant's wedding to find Lucinda, and of course, daddy had a pack of ogres_ _to arrest."_

_Mother sat up from the side of my bed, and walked the parameter of the room, blowing out the candlesticks that were lazily burning around my room in glowing light. _

"_What happened at the wedding? Did you find Lucinda?" I asked, but my eyelids were heavy, ready for dreaming. I didn't want to sleep though for I loved my mother and her stories but didn't get to hear them as often as I wanted to. She would be departing again in the morning with father—I wasn't informed to where but I knew it was not there—with me._

_She came back around and gave me a goodnight kiss on the cheek, "Now that is another tale for another night. Sweet dreams my darling, I shall miss you when I'm away,"_

"_Nighty night, mommy. I'll miss you too."_

I shook away heavy feelings of missing my family and wondered if dragons had their own tongue—_Dragonese—_or something of the sort. I had stopped walking to study a torn up tapestry that was draped along the tall wall. The stitching was frayed too badly to make out the story it had once told.

The tapestry was renewed at once, and I saw it was a great king atop a black stallion, fighting a dragon. Was it the same dragon that dominated this castle? I had heard stories about Dregat—it was known as the _dragon lands_. I supposed dragons not to be a rarity in the once-alive kingdom. The King was an older looking man, perhaps older than my own father but I could tell he was valiant. Of course the only reason I was able to see the tapestry in its whole beauty was because Jargon was standing close, and glowering at my tardiness to follow him.

"You are wearing my patience, girl," he sneered softly. I jumped at the coldness of his breath on my cheek and turned to see him march down the hall, beckoning me to follow.

"_SOOrth aVaR FFnOO" _I mumbled under my breath, my urge was too strong to repress, and used with as much smoothness as I had ever heard mother use. ("You are sour.")

He whirled around all of a sudden, pushing me to the wall. I yelped in surprise, never having been so roughly handled by any male excluding my brothers when we fought.

"How does a _cook's helper_ know the language of the Ogre folk?"

My eyes widened at his knowledge and acute hearing. My mind scrambling to come up with a lie.

"I…I…was just mimicking a phrase I heard an ogre say. There is one in the menagerie in Frell."

Again, his eyes narrowed but he let me go, warning me to be of no more trouble. I disliked Jargon as he remained haughty and indifferent while he led me to the kitchens—not even once apologizing for his behavior. I glanced back at the double doors, further down the hall and found it more than a little coincidental Jargon had stopped me from entering when no one had appeared when I was entering rooms left and right. I sensed there was something special about that room and I would find out what it was as soon as I could.


End file.
